<div dir="ltr"><div><h1 class=""><a href="http://www.brookings.edu/research/books/2011/fastforwardrevised">http://www.brookings.edu/research/books/2011/fastforwardrevised</a><br></h1><h1 class="">Fast Forward : Ethics and Politics in the Age of Global Warming,<br>
Revised edition</h1><p><em>Fast Forward</em> 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.<br><br>
<a href="http://www.brookings.edu/experts/antholisw.aspx">William Antholis</a> and <a href="http://www.brookings.edu/experts/talbotts.aspx">Strobe Talbott</a>
guide the reader through two decades of climate change politics and
diplomacy, explaining the national and international factors that have
influenced and often impeded domestic climate legislation and global
negotiations. Recent United Nations–sponsored summits have demonstrated
that the world cannot wait for a binding global treaty. Instead, the
authors believe that the "Big Four" of America, the European Union,
China, and India must lead the way forward. They 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.<br><br>
Antholis and Talbott put their recommendations for legislative and
diplomatic action into the larger context of our obligation to future
generations, echoing a theme stressed by a diverse coalition of
religious leaders calling for ambitious 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 we live—and act—today.<br><br>
</p><hr>
<h2>Praise for <em>Fast Forward:</em></h2>
"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, <em>NBC News</em><br><br>
"In their very timely and fast-paced account of where we are today on
the politics of global warming, the authors see Copenhagen as having
pointed up the futility of relying on the United Nations as the only
vehicle through which to tackle climate change."—Ed Luce, <em>Financial Times</em><br><br>
"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."—Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-Ill.)<br><br>
"<em>Fast Forward</em> 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 Dianne
Feinstein (D-Calif.)<br><br>
"Succinct and sweeping in scope, despite its brevity, this is the book
for briefing busy CEOs and prime ministers contemplating whether this
'climate thing' is real and, if it is, how should we deal with
it."—William K. Reilly, former administrator, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency<br><br>
<h2>Book Excerpt:</h2>
<strong>Leaving a Good Legacy</strong>
<br>
<br>
On May 12, senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman introduced the American
Power Act. The proposed law — crafted with the help of Republican
Senator Lindsey Graham — brought together a number of elements proposed
by environmental groups and businesses to set the country on a new,
clean-energy path. As the bill is considered, Kerry and Lieberman will
focus on the need to create jobs after the Great Recession and to
promote alternatives to fossil fuels. Those who support the legislation
will generally play down a politically more complicated purpose:
fighting global warming.
<br>
<br>
Surprisingly, perhaps, it is Graham who has been most forceful in making
the case for effective steps to counter climate change. "I have been to
enough college campuses to know — if you are 30 or younger, this
climate issue is not a debate," he told New York Times columnist Thomas
Friedman in February. "It's a value ... From a Republican point of view,
we should buy into it and embrace it and not belittle them."
<br>
<br>
Graham is a tough partisan, and he was making a point about the future
of the GOP, which he thinks needs younger people in its ranks.
Crucially, he also believes that lowering the risk to the planet and the
human race from climate change qualifies as a conservative cause. His
exhortation, if taken to heart, could prompt Republicans and Democrats
to compete for young, environmentally conscious voters. At a time of
partisan squabbling, that would benefit us all.
<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2010/0607_global_warming_talbott_antholis.aspx">Read <span style="white-space:nowrap">More »</span></a>
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<h2>Interview:</h2>
Coauthor William Antholis discusses the book and the global impact from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on <em><a href="http://www.abcnews.go.com/International/video/bp-oil-catastrophe-10859916">ABC News World View</a></em>. Antholis answers the question, “Who is to Blame?”
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<h2>Select Reviews:</h2>
"Strobe Talbott and Bill Antholis–head and senior fellow respectively of
the Brookings Institution, and former stalwarts of the Clinton
administration–prefer to describe Copenhagen as a "useful
disappointment". In their very timely and fast-paced account of where we
are today on the politics of global warming, the authors see Copenhagen
as having pointed up the futility of relying on the United Nations as
the only vehicle through which to tackle climate change.
<br><br>
"Instead, they argue, the world’s most important powers, particularly
the US, China, India and the European Union, should supplement
multilateralism with "minilateralism", since the number of participants
is inversely related to the speed of what a process can deliver. But
that still leaves a lot of players. And the domestic politics have, if
anything, become even less favourable in Washington and Europe since
last December.
<br><br>
"Indeed, as the authors observe, it was fashionable in the midst of last
February’s snowstorm in Washington for Republicans to make jokes about
the onset of global warming. Jim DeMint, a famously sceptical senator
from South Carolina, even built an impromptu igloo on Capitol Hill to
highlight the punchline."
<br><br>
<a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/68f3a9c0-6115-11df-9bf0-00144feab49a.html">Read the complete review at <span style="white-space:nowrap">FT.com »</span></a><br>------------------------------------------<br></div>Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett<br>
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