Climate letter to Obama

Let's hope Obama finds the time to read this letter from Colombia/NASA Professor James Hansen and his wife in which they highlights the "disconnect" between science (we are going to hell fast) and policy (do nothing substantial about climate change) - (my brackets). They say that it is still "feasible" to save the planet but three actions are needed fast:

• Moratorium on and phasing out of coal power stations without carbon capture, what he calls the "sine qua non for solving the climate problem".

• Raising the price of emissions via a "carbon tax and 100% dividend".

• Urgent research on "fourth generation" nuclear power with international co-operation.

At the heart of the response lies taxation on carbon.

A carbon tax, he says "is the essential underlying support needed to make all other climate policies work... and essential to decarbonize society".
- A carbon tax will be accepted by the public if it is returned to them. No bureaucracy is needed.
- The tax will spur innovation as entrepreneurs compete to develop and market low-carbon and no-carbon energies and products.
- A carbon tax is honest, clear and effective

With oil prices low now is a good time to introduce a tax.

He trashes the idea of cap and trade emissions schemes as these "generate special interests, lobbyists, and trading schemes, yielding non productive millionaires"

In this rich letter, he highlights the urgency of the situation which "derives from the nearness of climate tipping points, beyond which climate dynamics will cause rapid changes out of humanity's control". He also says that we are already past the safe level of 350 ppm of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This is pretty alarming given policy makers are saying we have to level off emissions at 450ppm - which a likely scenario being 550ppm. Pre industrial levels were 280ppm...