Thread by @ClimateHuman

A reporter from @GQMagazine asked me about climate policy. Speaking as a citizen, I told her what I thought:

1 We must treat climate as the crisis it is and at this late date - humans are a procrastinating species - the only sane response is WWII-scale-plus mobilization

2 The youth-driven grassroots protest is due to exponentially increasing GHG emissions - and physics - and so isn't a flash in the pan. It can only strengthen with climate impacts.

Political survival (and ours) will soon depend on treating climate as the crisis it is.

3 The climate mobilization we need will certainly be some kind of Green New Deal, whatever we want to call it. And yes, fossil fuel jobs will go away... but... THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE WANT.

There's a LOT of work that needs to be done. That means a LOT of jobs.

4 Making fossil fuels more expensive must be a part of this mobilization. It makes too much sense not to do: No way anyone will invest in a new coal plant if coal will cost a fortune in 10 years.

It's not the only thing we need to do... and it WON'T be the only thing we do.

5 A massive cultural shift is underway. Climate policies laughed off as "idealistic" a few years ago will soon seem quite viable as the planet heats up, more lives & property are lost, and the insurance industry and Pentagon (e.g.) start to really, really, freak the fuck out

6 The carbon price must be a fee & dividend. Without the dividend you'll get Yellow Jackets. With the dividend you'll have a popular, sustainable policy that actually helps lower & middle income people (b/c the rich use MUCH more fossil fuel so pay in more).

7 When asked what isn't being talked about enough, I said "demand reduction." The average European uses less than half the fossil fuel of the average American.

So much waste here. Smart policies to reduce demand would meet the energy transition in the middle & make it all easier