Hell and High Water: Global Warming–the Solution and the Politics–and What We Should Do

Global warming is the story of the twenty-first century. It is the most serious issue facing the future of humankind, and American energy and environmental policy is driving the whole world down the path of global catastrophe. Hell and High Water is nothing less than a wake-up call to the country. It is a searing critique of American environmental and energy policy and a passionate call to action by a writer with a unique command of the science and politics of climate change.

We have ten years, at most, to start making sharp cuts to our greenhouse gas emissions or we will face catastrophic consequences. The good news is that there is something we can do—but only if the leadership of the U.S. government acts immediately and asserts its influence on the rest of the world—in particular such emerging powers as China and India—to join an international effort to stop global warming.

Joseph Romm, an expert in the science, business, and politics of climate change, lays out a plan of action that involves:

• reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by midcentury
• adopting a California-style energy-efficiency effort nationwide
• embracing high-mileage, advanced “hybrid” cars that can run on both electricity and biofuels

Unfortunately, the required government policies and spending are strongly opposed by conservatives, who have blocked serious action on climate change and continue to publicly deny the dire warnings of scientists. Never before has there been such a sharp divergence between what top scientists know and what policymakers, the general public, and the media believe. And, sadly, never has so much been at stake.

Romm, who ran the largest program in the world that was concentrated on climate solutions, offers an authoritative dissection of this disastrous policy. Hell and High Water goes beyond ideological rhetoric to offer pragmatic solutions to avert the threat of global warming—solutions that must be taken seriously by every American.

Customer Review: Physist Backing Al Gore’s Assertions.

Al Gore has now been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. For years now, he’s been warning us about global warming. In this volume, Joseph Romm has come on board with his expertise to support Gore in letting people know what to do to prepare for an upcoming catastrophe. He was prompted to tell us exactly why we need to change our ways because of Katrina’s wrath which caused his brother in Mississippi to lose his house to the waters. He claims that by the time the federal governments closes down their pollution from the hydro plants, it will be too late.

We all are aware of how slowly those agencies get anything done. That’s the way it goes with any government agencies which claim to help people. The deadly heat waves accompaning the global warming will be the end to some elderly folks who can’t tolerate extreme heat or cold. It won’t be just the hear; coastal cities could and some will be inudated and underwater. Coastal areas from Houston to Miami are the most vunerable and will be the first to submerge. Zach will leave Fort Lauderdale before that happens and return to his native region where less damage will occur. If he re-locates to the East Tennessee area, they can always drive up into the mountains where the temperatures are considerably cooler. The trees help. But beware the snakes and black bears — they can be deadly.

Written by a PhD in oceanography, some of his rhetoric is complex, perhaps complicated for the lay reader. But his warning is loud and clear. It is time to take action and realize that Al Gore was serious (as always) with his award-winning documentary all along. He had the votes to be president of U.S.; today, he’s trying to save our country from devastation. Two educated men can’t be wrong. Heed their advice.

Customer Review: Summary of and Politics of Global Warming

The author outlines the overwhelming case that, with a 90% certainty, global warming is a fact and humans caused it. On our present course and over a period of multiple decades or a couple of centuries – nobody knows how long – the polar ice caps will melt and sea level will rise 20 to 80 feet. Great cities built on coastlines throughout the world will be under water. Much of the mid -United States will become desert as will many other areas throughout the world. Economies will collapse. Climatologists have actually been hedging – this scenario is rosier than what they really think.

In the face of convincing data, why would the same people that rely on scientific technology for air travel, cell phones, and other conveniences of everyday life, deny the validity of science when it comes to conclusions they don’t like? Joseph Romm answers this question on page 107. “Ideology trumps rationality. Most conservatives cannot abide the solution to global warming – strong governmental regulations and a government-led effort to accelerate clean-energy technologies into the market.” To libertarians and to some conservatives, the villain is not global warming, it is fear of government.

Unfortunately, history shows that corporations don’t clean up their act voluntarily – they only do so when forced. As a matter of fact, corporations in the US conform to a set of legislated rules that is overtly sociopathic. If they DON’T act strictly with self interest and profit in mind, they can be successfully sued by stock-holders (“The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power,” by Bakan). The job of their PR departments is to present them as responsible environmental citizens when they’re not.

So what techniques do naysayers use to combat this longtime concensus among scientists and growing concensus in the general public? They use the same techniques used in political campaigns – programs carefully thought out by think tanks that try to make both sides of an issue appear to be what they are not. More than 2/3 of this book is dedicated to the political fights over global warming.

At the risk of losing half my readers, these are the same techniques Intelligent Design advocates use against the theory of evolution, and for analogous reasons. You don’t see any groups clamoring for alternate views about atomic structure in high school physics classes – but introductory physics is not perceived as a threat to a cherished belief system. In both cases, a strongly held ideology prevents unbiased assessment of the data. In both cases (Evolution and Global Warming), the theory can be reduced to basics and easily understood. In both cases, the learning curve is steep for an in-depth understanding of the subject matter, leaving plenty of room for convincing spin to the casual observer (most of us).

In closing, may I paraphrase from memory an observation that Robert Wright (author of “The Moral Animal”) made: Humans have an exquisite array of moral equipment, a relentless tendency to misuse this equipment, and are tragically unaware of this misuse. The naysayers honestly believe they’re doing the right thing – at least some of them.

The scientific method may not be perfect, but it has proven over and over to be the closest we’re going to come to the truth, and it’s self-correcting. History shows that the findings of science are eventually accepted. I hope governments believe and act on the concept of global warming sooner rather than later. The earth doesn’t care. Ninety-nine percent of the species that have ever existed are now extinct and earth isn’t going anywhere for several billion years no matter what we do to it. Nor is life likely to be wiped out – just species that evolve too slowly to make appropriate adjustments to climate change, including most of the big mammals. I hope it’s not our turn.