Overview
"Climate Solutions is a simple guide to the big environmental policy decisions that are soon going to be made.... By reading these few pages, the average voter will be able to figure out what programs to support and what to fight against, instead of simply shrugging one's shoulders and hoping for the best."What Works, What Doesn't, and Why—Los Angeles Times "Emerald City" blog
Millions of Americans are demanding that all levels of government—local, state, and federal—take immediate and effective action to fight climate change. But there’s a big problem. Hundreds of policy ideas are floating about, and many of them aren’t very good. It’s quite possible that bad climate policy will result, and that many years will then be lost before real emission reductions occur.
We can’t afford to let that happen. That’s why this citizen’s guide is so important. It explains in clear and simple language what different climate policies will do—and what they won’t do. It tells you who’s behind the policies, who’d pay for them, and who’d profit. It strips away the spin and tells you the key facts you need to know.
In a very real sense, this guide ushers in the next stage of the global-warming debate. In the first stage, we discussed the problem. In the next stage, we must choose solutions. Should we adopt a carbon tax? A carbon cap? A trading system that allows companies to “offset” their emissions by paying others to plant trees?
This guide examines these proposals and many others. It’s essential reading for anyone who wants to stop climate change before it’s too late.
"This citizen's guide demystifies climate policy so that you can play an active role in forming it. We can't wait any longer, and we can't get it wrong."
—Bill McKibben, from the Foreword