BOOK REVIEWS
TWILIGHT of DEMOCRACY... ...continued from page 75
most successful examples of innovations in energy efficiency.” How - ever, the authors emphasize that “there is no silver bullet policy for dealing with climate change.” There are many policy options that will not work. “Exceptionally hot summer conditions dry out the landscape, in- tensify wildfires, devastate crop and livestock yields, send people to the hospital with heat stroke,” in addition to many other harms. “Much of the carbon dioxide emitted during the Industrial Revolu - tion — about 250 years ago — remains in the atmosphere today.” As once-frozen Arctic tundra thaws from warmer temperatures, buried methane deposits are released and more greenhouse gasses will enter the atmosphere and warm it even more. According to the authors, “the scale of this greenhouse gas accel- erator is almost unfathomable because it cannot be controlled.” As oceans absorb more carbon dioxide (CO2), the water becomes more acidic causing aquatic plants and animals to die. Their decomposition will generate yet more CO2 into the atmosphere and the oceans. Detailed discussions provide pathways for selecting the most ap - propriate and effective solutions. “A portfolio of policies, including performance standards, economic signals, support for R&D, and sup - porting policies, is the most effective, lowest-cost way to drive down greenhouse gas emissions.” Of the hundreds of possible policy options, “the right policies must be selected for each sector, and then they must be designed and implemented well.” An in-depth discussion follows that clarifies this process. Topics covered include how governments can support energy research and development to include national lab- oratories and partnerships with universities and businesses. The authors also point out that “the key to deploying any technolo- gy is to achieve a decline in unit costs, which happens over the lifetime of a technology.” They emphasize focusing standards on performance such as fuel efficiency and reductions in pollutants and not on the technologies. The authors highlight “policy design principles that are essential components of performance standards, economic signals, and research and development policies that separate successful out- comes from those that fail.” Different circumstances demand differ - ent policies, and a practical consensus is emerging as to what works. To ensure that policies will be effective, a policymaker should con - sider performance standards such as limits on power plant emissions; support for R&D “by creating an environment where private sector R&D can thrive;” and enabling policies that “enhance the functionality of the other policies often through direct government expenditures.” Discussions also cover Energy Policy Design; How to Prioritize Poli - cies for Emission Reductions, The Power Sector, Renewable Portfolio Standards, The Transportation Sector, Vehicle Performance Stan- dards, Electric Vehicle Policies, Carbon Pricing, Policies for a Post- 2050 World, and much more. These authors argue that new technologies continue to demonstrate the feasibility of a low-carbon future within our reach, perhaps at an even lower cost than that of our current high-carbon lifestyle. Their re- search focusing on industrial processes and energy use demonstrates “the most potential for emission abatement using existing policies to reduce emissions from power plants, vehicles, buildings, and industri- al manufacturing processes including steel and cement.” The failure to act quickly “could result in irreparable harms that include the loss of coastal lands to sea level rise and threatening more than a billion people with famines and extinctions. Alyce Ortuzar is a freelance medical and social science researcher, writer, and editor living in Montgomery County, Maryland. She runs the Well Mind Association of Greater Washington, a holistic medicine information clearinghouse that focuses on environmental and nutritional influences on our mental and physical well-being. For five years, she edited the U.S. Surgeon General’s smoking and health reports. She can be reached at (240) 531-2875; alyceortuzar@gmail.com.
quoting him in letters to Thomas Jefferson.” Their intent was “to build democracy in America” based on “rational debate, reason, and com- promise. But they had no illusions about human nature” or “risks from an outburst of the irrational.”
Designing Climate Solutions: A Policy Guide for Low-Carbon Energy By Hal Harvey with Robbie Orvis, Jeffrey Rissman, Michael O’Boyle, Chris Busch, and Sonia Aggarwal 2018; Island Press: Washington, DC; 358pp (PB) ISBN 078-1-61091-956-2
Former U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz wrote the Foreword in this book, and he expresses satisfaction with the widespread inter- national cooperation among nations embracing the need to avert the risks posed by global warming and climate change. He refers back to the 1992 Rio de Janeiro declaration and reminds us that the U.S. Sen - ate “ratified this agreement and thereby committed our country to ad - dress this challenge.” There is also international agreement that “swift action is needed between now and 2050.” Hopeful signs include dramatic declines in costs to transition to wind and solar power, in addition to lower costs for batteries. “The proliferation of light-emitting diode (LED) light bulbs is one of the
The GardenDC podcast is all about gardening in the greater Washington, DC, and Mid- Atlantic area. The program is hosted by Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener Magazine, and fea- tures guest experts in local and national horticulture. The latest episodes include interviews with experts on boxwood, bay-wise landscapes, persimmon trees, and viburnum. You can listen online at https://washingtongardener. blogspot.com/ or wherever you get your podcasts — Spotify, Apple, etc.
The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City By Kathy Jentz and Teresa Speight Published by Cool Springs Press/Quarto Homes Available Now Order it today at: https://amzn.to/3yiLPKU
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/
76—PATHWAYS—Fall 24
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