Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas made a point in his post Monday that an ideal Biden cabinet should have an addition—a climate secretary. That’s an idea that ought not get lost in the deluge of other matters related to the coronavirus and the economy. Of course, we first have to oust the hoax in the White House and a bunch of kowtowing parasites in Congress before that idea can come to pass. As soon as we finish that task, creating the post of climate secretary should be high on the priority list. And the appointee needs to be a combination of climate hawk and climate owl. We need toughness, speed, and wisdom in that post.
The next federal administration cannot continue a going-slow, “all of the above” energy policy. No more going slow in pushing changes in our transportation system. No more going slow on changing (or ignoring altogether) agricultural practices that contribute significant amounts of greenhouse gases to our overburdened atmosphere.
Going slow was the option chosen in 1988 after climate expert James Hansen gave his congressional testimony that climate change was upon us and action was needed immediately. Look where that going slow got us. Climate hawks know that going slow is simply no longer an option if we are to have any realistic hope of limiting the worst impacts of the climate crisis.
Still, some people keep saying that our transformation away from fossil fuels must not be done “too fast.” On the contrary, it’s way too late to go too fast. We’ll be very very lucky if we are able to go fast enough. Thanks to our pathetic leadership, we’re getting a taste right now of what happens from waiting too long to act. People are attending lots of funerals as a result of that delay. The coronavirus isn’t just a plague, it’s a premonition.