Fast Forward: Ethics and Politics in the Age of Global Warming(Brookings FOCUS Book)

"""Those of us alive today are the first generation to know that we live in the Age of Global Warming. We may also be the last generation to have any chance of doing something about it. Our forebears had the excuse of ignorance. Our descendants will have the excuse of helplessness. We have no excuse.""—From Chapter One Fast Forward is equal parts science primer, history lesson, policy prescription, and ethical treatise. This pithy and compelling book makes clear what we know and don't know about global warming; why the threat demands prudent and urgent action; why the transition to a low-carbon economy will be the most difficult political and economic transaction in history; and how it requires nothing less than a revolution in our sense of civic responsibility. William Antholis and Strobe Talbott guide the reader through two decades of climate change diplomacy, explaining the national and international factors that have influenced and often impeded the negotiations. Their brisk narrative includes behind-the-scenes coverage of Barack Obama's impromptu meeting with key leaders in Copenhagen that broke a logjam and salvaged an agreement. The near-disaster of that summit demonstrated how the United Nations cannot move forward fast enough to produce a global deal. Instead, the ""Big Four"" of the United States, the European Union, China, and India must drive the next stage of the process. Antholis and Talbott also recommend a new international mechanism modeled on the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade that would monitor national commitments and create incentives for other countries to coordinate their efforts to cut emissions. Antholis and Talbott put their recommendations for immediate congressional and diplomatic action into the larger context of our obligation to future generations. They note that this theme is stressed by a diverse coalition of religious leaders who are calling for ambitious political action on climate change. The world we leave to our children and grandchildren is not an abstraction, or even just a legacy; we must think about what kind of world that will be in deciding how live—and act—today. "

About the Author :
William Antholis is managing director of the Brookings Institution, where he is also a senior fellow in Governance Studies. During Bill Clinton's presidency, he was director of international economic affairs at the National Security Council and the National Economic Council. He served as deputy director of the White House climate change policy team and was a negotiator on the U.S. team at Kyoto. Strobe Talbott, president of Brookings, served seven years as U.S. deputy secretary of state. Prior to his government service, he spent twenty-one years as a reporter, columnist, and editor of Time magazine. His previous books include The Great Experiment (Simon & Schuster, 2008), Engaging India (Brookings, 2004), and The Russia Hand (Random House, 2002).

Review :
"Strobe Talbott and Bill Antholis have made an admirable and important effort to move beyond the recent political rancor in Washington. They have a plan for leaders who want to be serious about energy and climate. Instead of starting from entrenched ideological base camps, they concentrate on identifying common goals. Reducing our foreign oil dependence, saving Americans money on their energy bills, improving our industrial competitiveness, investing in a cleaner and more diverse energy portfolio, and using domestic fossil fuel resources wisely, while cutting our greenhouse gas emissions are goals on which Republicans and Democrats alike can agree." —Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.) |" Fast Forward makes the case in clear, concise, and compelling terms for urgent action and American leadership in addressing the threat that global warming poses to our nation and our planet." —Senator Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) |"In Fast Forward William Antholis and Strobe Talbott brilliantly explode the economic and scientific myths about climate change while elevating the political debate to a transgenerational moral crisis. Their synthesis of science, economics, religion and philosophy is a clarion call to action for anyone interested in the future of the planet —which means all of us." —Andrea Mitchell, NBC News |"William Antholis and Strobe Talbott combine a concise, fast-paced narrative on the evolution of climate change as a national and international issue with a framework for policy that is rooted in deep understanding and practical experience of international affairs. The result is a timely perspective on something whose outcome —whatever the ultimate choices —will be of truly global significance in both environmental and economic terms." —Daniel Yergin, author of The Prize: the Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power