Global warming has been thrust into the national spotlight as never before. Near daily headlines of dramatic changes to the climate accentuate the larger-than-ever threat of super hurricanes, mega-droughts, and sea levels rising 20 to 80 feet. If we don’t act soon, we may propel humanity down an irreversible and unprecedented path.
For decades, a campaign of skepticism and misinformation has pervaded the American media and launched political debate into rhetorical circles. In his latest book, Hell and High Water: Global Warming – The Solution and the Politics, Dr. Joseph Romm exposes the strategy the Bush administration has adopted to delay action on climate change and funding for alternative energy solutions. Romm presents the crucial energy solutions and policies, all of which are or are soon to be technologically feasible. These strategies, which have so far lacked political will, include a California-style energy efficiency effort, wind farms, carbon capture and storage, and advanced hybrid vehicles that can run on both gasoline and electricity. Romm urges policymakers to recognize the science and take serious strides to move solutions forward. According to James Hansen, Director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, “Joe Romm knows what he is talking about. His message is urgent, reasoned and informative–he delivers it with surprising clarity. America had better listen up–this may be our last chance to stop global warming.” California Energy Commissioner Arthur Rosenfeld says, “If you buy only one book on global warming, make it Hell and High Water.”
Featured Guest:
Joseph Romm, Ph.D., Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and author of Hell and High Water: Global Warming – The Solution and the Politics -and What We Should Do
Moderated by:
Carol M. Browner, Principal, The Albright Group LLC
Introduction by:
Dr. Ana Unruh Cohen, Director for Environmental Policy, Center for American Progress