Green Fight Will Be Obama's Costliest

Barack Obama must move quickly to address climate change, and it could be very unpopular politically, Bill McKibben writes in Yale Environment 360. In fact, the measures necessary to save our planet could very well “wreck his political future, because it would involve—directly or indirectly—raising the cost of continuing to live as we do.” But it must be done.

McKibben thinks Obama should move decisively to institute a cap-and-trade plan, and use American money globally to limit emissions. “What we're talking about is a carbon version of the Marshall Plan.” The stakes are high, but the planet is worth more than a presidency. “Doing what actually needs to be done will be politically … unpopular isn't even the word.” (More Barack Obama stories.)