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Dragons of Inaction
Robert Gifford, University of Victoria
A psychologist explains the dragons of inaction that keep us from changing our behaviors, even if we know they’re bad for the environment.
Effectively Communicating Climate Change
Edward Maibach, George Mason University
Maibach suggests we start conversations about climate change in unexpected places: Facebook, the doctor’s office, and the TV weather report.
Shifting Shorelines
Christopher Hein, Virginia Institute of Marine Science
One coastal geologist says that due to climate change, east coast shorelines are shifting… fast. But, he says there may be a way we can help barrier islands preserve vital ecosystems throughout the accelerating changes.
Consequences of Synthetic Hormones for Animals
Sara O’Brien, Radford University
Synthetic hormones are flooding the waterways, so one biologist is conducting experiments to pinpoint the source of human-made hormones and to determine the consequences of exposure to them. The canary-in-the-coal-mine for O’Brien’s research is the ubiquitous “mosquito fish”.
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Behind the human failure to act on climate lurks the reality that our economic system permits fossil fuels to externalize their costs to future generations. if fossil fuels corporations were compelled to pay these costs, their products would be priced beyond the reach of consumers.
The solution to this situation is for the US Congress to pass legislation to assess a rising fee on fossil fuel extraction at the wellhead, but then refund all the proceeds go US families. These fees would then be passed on to consumers, with the result that renewable energy would gain a price edge over fossil fuels and would grow rapidly to fill the economic demand for energy. This is advocated by the World Bank, and is the only realistic means of decreasing fossil fuel burning steeply.
Many Americans conceive of climate action as a call for volunteers to freeze in the dark. Nothing could be more wrong than this idea. If we are to succeed with the climate challenge, we will only do so by using the marketplace, rather than defying it or ignoring it. Full disclosure: I volunteer for Citizens Climate Lobby. I am not paid for this.