Some climate answers from Katharine Hayhoe

In an interview with The Guardian, Katharine Hayhoe, an atmospheric scientist, director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University, contributor to more than 125 scientific papers, prize winner for her science communication work and Stephen H Schneider award for outstanding climate science communication, is quoted saying 'A thermometer is not liberal or conservative'.

Important Answers

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She responds to the questions What is the best way out of the climate crisis? What policies would make a difference?

 The most important thing is to accelerate the realisation that we have to act. This means connecting the dots to show that the impacts are not distant any more: they are here and they affect our lives. It also means talking about solutions. The technology and knowledge are there. The economics already make sense. In Texas, where I live, the biggest military base, Fort Hood, switched last year to renewables because they were cheaper than natural gas. And finally, it means weaning ourselves off fossil fuels, which is challenged by the fact that the majority of the world’s richest companies have made their money from the fossil fuel economy – so the majority of the wealth and power remains in their hands…1

Later in the interview she is asked: What’s the role of global finance? Can money managers, shareholders and multinationals exert pressure and take positive action in ways that short-termist, vote-hungry politicians seem unable to do?

Yes! In the world we live in, money speaks loudly. Thanks to the growing divestment movement, we have seen cities, universities and entire countries, in the case of Ireland, withdrawing investments from fossil fuel assets. This isn’t only happening for ethical reasons but for practical ones as well. As clean energy continues to expand, those assets could become stranded. When money talks the world listens..1 

This update points to the direction required to mitigate some of the disastrous and expensive consequences of climate change.

 1(2019, January 6). Katharine Hayhoe: 'A thermometer is not liberal or conservative'. Retrieved January 9, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jan/06/katharine-hayhoe-interview-climate-change-scientist-crisis-hope