In 2050, a seemingly
remote date from the new year we just welcomed, President Obama will be 89
years old, eight presidential terms will have passed since his second term
ended, his daughters Malia and Sasha will be 52 and 49 respectively, and, if we
continue on our present path, the world could be 4°F
warmer, risking the lives and livelihoods of millions.
President Obama, as a
leader of the largest historical emitter of carbon dioxide and the second
largest current emitter of that climate-altering gas, has incredible power in
shaping how severe and destructive this future will be. The world of 2050 will
largely be dictated by the decisions the President makes over the next few years.
How he handles this unique leverage will be the most significant and lasting
legacy of his administration.
This month in his
inaugural address, the President can make it clear that he understands this
ever-growing threat and has the guts necessary to aggressively confront the
problem to the extent demanded by the science.
Unfortunately, even now
in the second decade of the 21st century, we already have raw glimpses
of the “destructive power of a warming planet,” as President Obama described
the impacts of climate change in his victory speech last November. It is not only the children of 2050 that will
be forced to live with this destructive power. No—the impacts of climate change
are already here and they are only going to get worse.
From the droughts that
ravaged food production in the nation’s bread basket this summer, to the wild
fires that destroyed homes and forests in the west and the deaths caused by
hurricane Sandy, the vicious devastation of weather patterns strengthened by
the steroids of a carbon filled climate is something we must contend with now.
While the Inaugural
Address is not necessarily a time for specific, wonky policy proposals, the
time has come for more than the vague visions about climate change the
President has so far offered. He should make it clear that the time has come to
put a price on emitting carbon dioxide and that creating this impediment to
pollution will be a central goal of his presidency.
By framing the price early
in his second term, the President can take control of the narrative from the
start and preemptively confront the inevitable accusation that it will be a
burden on business, which will surely come from deniers and delayers in
Washington.
He can define the price as
crucial to preventing a small number of dirty corporations from polluting our environment
for free. He can ask citizens directly: how would you feel if your neighbor
could dump his garbage into your yard without any consequences? Why can fossil
fuel companies, whose reserves are capable of warming our planet five times more
than what the science tells us human infrastructure can handle, do the same to
our atmosphere?
Additionally, with all
the focus on the long term risks of a growing deficit and the fiscal cliff, the
president can present the price as an opportunity to generate additional
revenue from a few industries whose entire business model is based on jeopardizing
the stability of our future.
The fiscal cliff is
indeed threatening, but it pales in comparison to the world-altering risk of a runaway
climate. Hurricane Sandy and the Colorado wildfires alone cost the country
millions. As climate change worsens, events like this will become more common
and expensive. At this point it is undeniable, the sooner we act the easier and
less expensive the transition way from fossil fuels will be.
The president in his
second term can operate without the concerns about short term political
viability, which hampered his first. The
next four years are an opportunity for him to act on the visionary rhetoric
that has characterized his political campaigns and not on what will win the
next election.
Of course, the President
still must contend with a Congress defined by an obstructionist House and an immovable
Senate, but that alone is not an excuse for inaction. The president’s job is to
lead. As the chief executive of the country, he has a unique ability to
galvanize the public and communicate why urgent and ambitious action on climate
change is necessary. The Inaugural Address this month is the perfect
opportunity to begin this process.
In 2050, when President
Obama’s legacy is examined, arguments over particular aspects of the tax code
or discretionary spending will be forgotten. What will be remembered is whether
he chose to confront the most urgent challenge of his and, more importantly,
his children’s era.
