In Fixing the Climate: Strategies for an Uncertain World, authors Charles F. Sabel and David G. Victor believe that the world’s current climate policy frameworks (such as the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement) are not working as they are intended to. As carbon emissions continue to increase, they feel that different solutions are needed to address the climate, arguing for a different course of action that takes the power out of elected leadership.
The authors argue that to reverse greenhouse gas emissions, solutions must arise from local communities through a combination of government and business. In their idealistic scenario, they see the two working together through a model of experimentation, working with new technologies and promoting those technologies that offer the best solutions to address climate change. They cite such examples as the rise of electric vehicles, addressing the ozone layer and acid rain in the 1980’s and early 1990’s, and Europe’s successes in combating water pollution from industry and agriculture. Their view is that elected leaders and business leaders should encourage more experimentation and a “bottom up” approach to innovative solutions on the climate issue.
The book has detail and depth on some of the technical examples that they cite, which is useful in understanding some of the issues that face the environment. It isn’t the easiest book to read, but their arguments are well-researched and thoughtfully advocated.
MY RATING - 3.5
