President Obama is set to make his 'major Climate policy' announcement today. As I prepare to be significantly underwhelmed, I am having a daydream fantasy for what that climate speech could be today:
'To my fellow Americans and citizens of Earth. Climate change is real, it's already happening, and it's the biggest challenge humanity has faced, both because of its implications and the speed at which we now need to move to address it due to decades of denial and inaction. It is also a fantastic opportunity to rapidly move to a new era of clean, safe and abundant energy; of constructive rather than destructive relationships with the natural environments that sustain life on earth; and of climate justice, where we reject the idea that the poorest and weakest among us will suffer the most due to the actions of others.
The science is clear. Anyone who disagrees with the overwhelming evidence is selfishly protecting a business interest. The United States must and will lead the world into this next era. By 2050, we will have reduced our Greenhouse Gas emissions by at least 80%. By the end of this decade, we will have made significant strides to transition from fossil fuels to clean and renewable sources of energy.
Effective immediately, we need to form public-private partnerships to invest heavily in the clean energy infrastructure that will power our future. And we need to stop building long-term infrastructure that will lengthen our dependence on the energy systems of our past. As a result, I announce today that I will not approve projects like the Keystone XL pipeline, and will enact an executive order preventing the Federal Government from buying fuels derived from tar sands.
Also, every organization that sells to the Federal Government, along with their supply chains, will need to present within three years a plan to achieve balance with the natural environment in their activities. Gone are the days of business taking endlessly from nature without worrying about the next generation. Every living system on Earth is currently in decline, and this trend must be reversed urgently.
I realize success will require other countries to follow. But the United States, with barely 5% of the world's population, accounts for more than 25% of the world's pollution and almost 30% of natural resource consumption. We must act, and compel others to follow.
I have a dream of a healthy, sustainable and abundant future for all the word's inhabitants. Let's make it happen.'
