The first one hunderd days

Abstract

"In a recent speech, former Vice President and Nobel laureate Al Gore challenged the nation to produce 100 percent of its electricity from non-carbon sources within ten years. Linking the issues of climate, energy, economy and national security, Mr. Gore stated: “We’re borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet. Every bit of that’s got to change.” Climate change is arguably the most serious challenge facing the next president with potential consequences that dwarf even the current crisis in global financial markets. Climate change is not simply an environmental problem. It is an economic and national security problem. It is a public health and safety problem. It is a human rights problem. It is an unprecedented threat to human civilization. But it is also an opportunity for the United States to both revitalize and de-carbonize our economy and lead the world towards a more sustainable future. Climate change demands a complete rethinking of environmental law and comprehensive new legislation to spur fundamental changes in every sector of the economy, starting with energy. It will take more than one term for any president to make significant progress. But the urgency of the crisis requires that the new president take immediate actions to send a clear signal to the nation and the world that he intends to make climate change a signature issue of his administration. The actions outlined above would send a signal of hope and resolve to a nation and a world community hungry for strong leadership in challenging times." (p. 1, 10)