Why is positioning the argument as “Economy vs. Environment” a false choice?
A clean energy economy will bring with it short-term costs—some workers in traditional energy industries may lose jobs over time, and consumers may pay somewhat higher energy bills as the economy transitions. So it is easy for those against climate change legislation to say that cleaning up the planet comes at the expense of the American economy. Over the long term, as the cost of alternative energy sources comes down, the clean energy economy will bring with it millions of new jobs while providing abundant energy that does not contribute to global warming. The longer we wait, the more damaging climate change will be, and the more expensive and difficult the solutions will become. The question isn’t whether or not to act; it is how to do so in the most cost effective manner, and how to summon the political will to do what needs to be done while there’s still time. The Climate War is the story of those fighting to take the first essential step, and those fighting against them. It explai
