The Age of Consequences Page #8

FROM THE SWAMP TO THE STARS,

AND IT'S BEEN SAID

IF WE LOSE THAT WAR

AND IN SO DOING LOSE

THIS WAY OF FREEDOM OF OURS,

HISTORY WILL RECORD

WITH THE GREATEST ASTONISHMEN THAT THOSE

WHO HAD THE MOST TO LOSE

DID THE LEAS TO PREVENT ITS HAPPENING.

[GOODMAN]

WE SPENT BILLIONS OF DOLLARS

OF OUR GDP DURING THE COLD WAR

TO REDUCE THE THREA OF NUCLEAR ATTACK,

WHICH IS LOW PROBABILITY

BUT VERY HIGH CONSEQUENCE.

NOW WE FACE RISKS

FROM CLIMATE CHANGE

THAT ARE ARGUABLY AS SEVERE

AND OF HIGHER PROBABILITY,

AND YET THERE IS

IN SOME QUARTERS

A RELUCTANCE TO FACE UP

TO THE CHALLENGES

AND BUILD A RESILIENT SOCIETY.

[GUNS FIRING]

WHETHER IT'S THREATS

FROM NUCLEAR WEAPONS

OR INTERNATIONAL

TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS,

ANY PERCENTAGE:

IS UNACCEPTABLE.

WHEN YOU THINK:

ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

AS A RISK-MANAGEMENT ISSUE,

THEN ALL OF THE ACTIONS

WE NEED TO TAKE:

ARE GOING TO BE:

ON THE TABLE.

IF WE DON'T, THEN WE'RE

GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE

SOME VERY, VERY

DIFFICULT CHOICES.

[BREEN]

WHERE CAN WE MAKE OURSELVES

MORE RESILIENT?

WHERE CAN WE MAKE OURSELVES

MORE PREPARED?

WHERE CAN WE ACT NOW

IN ORDER TO MITIGATE

THE CONSEQUENCES OF DECISIONS

THAT WERE MADE SINCE

THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION?

THERE'S A DIFFICULT TRUTH

WE'VE GOTTA FACE HERE.

AS WE'VE SEEN RISING

AWARENESS OF THE PROBLEM,

WE'VE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE

OUR CONTRIBUTION.

REVERSING THAT MAY BE

THE MOST DIFFICUL COLLECTIVE-ACTION PROBLEM

WE'VE EVER FACED.

[MADELEINE ALBRIGHT]

I DO THINK THE BIGGEST THREA IS CLIMATE CHANGE

AND ITS NATIONAL

SECURITY ASPECTS.

OUR PROBLEM IS THA NOT EVERYTHING CAN BE

HANDLED MILITARILY,

AND THAT WE ALSO HAVE

A SHORT ATTENTION SPAN.

THESE ARE VERY:

LONG-TERM PROBLEMS.

[FEMIA]

THIS IS A WHOLE:

OF SOCIETY ISSUE.

WE HAVE TO ADDRESS I IN ALL OF OUR INSTITUTIONS.

THAT MEANS:

ALL ASPECTS OF GOVERNMENT.

IT MEANS THE RESOURCES

AND THE POLITICAL WILL.

[ALBRIGHT]

IT IS A MATTER OF COOPERATING,

AND IF YOU LOOK AT THESE ISSUES,

IT WILL REQUIRE:

AMERICAN LEADERSHIP

WITHIN A SYSTEM THAT OTHER

COUNTRIES PLAY A PART IN.

[CHENEY]

WE HAVE TO LEAD.

THE INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES,

WE'RE THE ONES WHO ARE DOING

THE VAST MAJORITY OF

THE POLLUTING HERE IN THE WORLD.

WE GOTTA STEP UP TO THIS.

EVERY ASPECT OF NATIONAL

SECURITY IS ABOUT MANAGING RISK.

OUR POLITICIANS IN MY OPINION

SHOULD TAKE A LESSON

FROM THE MILITARY.

THEY SHOULD START PRUDEN ACTION TO REDUCE EMISSIONS.

[TITLEY]

CONGRESS WON'T LEAD

ON THIS ISSUE,

BUT THEY CAN BE LED.

THAT'S WHY

I CONTINUE TO GO AROUND

AND TALK ABOUT THIS ISSUE.

WE NEED TO FIND:

POLICY SOLUTIONS

THAT CAN DEAL WITH IT.

[BURKE]

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I FIND

PERSONALLY REALLY DISTRESSING,

HAVING WORKED:

FOR REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS,

IS THAT SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE

A POINT OF CONVERGENCE

HAS BECOME SO DIVISIVE.

THIS POLARIZATION

HAS ALLOWED US:

TO NOT REALLY ADDRESS

WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO DO.

RESILIENCE AND IMPROVING

OUR ABILITY TO RESPOND,

THOSE ARE THE LEAS THAT WE SHOULD BE DOING.

THAT'S, IN MILITARY PARLANCE,

THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE.

[BREEN]

ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS

THEY EVER TAUGHT ME

AS A COMBAT LEADER

WAS CHOOSING TO DO NOTHING

IS A CHOICE.

INACTION IS AS MUCH

OF A DECISION:

AS ANY OTHER:

COURSE OF ACTION,

AND IT CARRIES:

THOSE CONSEQUENCES.

[FUERTH]

IT'S A VERY DANGEROUS THING

TO DECIDE THAT THERE IS ONE

AND ONLY ONE LINE OF EVENTS

HEADING INTO THE FUTURE

AND ONE AND ONLY ONE BES RESPONSE FOR DEALING WITH THAT.

WHEN SYSTEMS BECOME INVESTED

IN AN OLD WAY OF THINKING,

THERE IS A MOMEN WHEN THOSE STRUCTURES

START TO BREAK DOWN.

THE SYSTEM RESISTS

THE IDEA OF CHANGE

TO A CERTAIN POINT,

AND THEN THE WEIGH OF COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE

SAYS "SOMETHING'S

NOT WORKING HERE.

WE NEED A CHANGE."

I DON'T THINK YOU GE TO THAT MOMENT BY SLOW DEGREES.

I THINK IT OCCURS

LIKE AN AVALANCHE.

AND THERE COMES A MOMEN WHEN YOU HAVE TO KNOW

WHEN TO CHANGE COURSE.

[SNYDER]

EVEN AS WE SPEND

ALL OF OUR TIME TALKING

ABOUT WHAT HUMANS ARE CAPABLE

OF DOING IN A NEGATIVE SENSE,

WE DON'T KNOW THE LIMITS

OF WHAT WE'RE CAPABLE OF DOING

IN A POSITIVE SENSE.

WE HAVEN'T FOUND THAT EITHER.

THE GENERAL DRIF IS IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.

WE HAVE AN AWFUL LOT OF THINGS

THAT WE SHOULD BE AFRAID OF.

THE WINDOW:

OF ACTION IS CLOSING.

BUT THERE WOULDN'T BE ANY POIN TALKING ABOUT ALL OF THIS

IF WE DIDN'T HAVE

THE KNOWLEDGE WHICH WE DO,

IF WE DIDN'T HAVE

THE TOOLS WHICH WE DO,

AND IF WE DIDN'T HAVE

UNPREDICTABLE POTENTIAL,

WHICH WE ALSO DO.

[PARENTI]

WHAT PEOPLE NEED

MORE THAN A FRIGH IS SOME CREDIBLE DESCRIPTION

OF A WAY OUT OF THE PROBLEM.

[BREEN]

ENERGY INDEPENDENCE

FUNDAMENTALLY:

IS ABOUT THE ABILITY

TO MEET OUR ENERGY NEEDS

FROM WITHIN OUR OWN BORDERS

INDEFINITELY.

THERE'S NO MORE

AMERICAN CONCEPT THAN THAT,

AND THAT MEANS TAKING CONTROL

OF OUR ENERGY FUTURE

AND INVESTING IN ALTERNATIVES

TO OUR CURRENT SYSTEM.

[GOODMAN]

THE FLIP SIDE:

OF THE CLIMATE THREA IS THE ENERGY

AND RESILIENCE OPPORTUNITY.

THE MORE DIVERSIFIED WE ARE

IN OUR ENERGY SOURCES,

FROM A WHOLE ARRAY

OF RENEWABLES:

TO INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES,

THE SOUNDER AND STRONGER

AND MORE SECURE WE WILL BE.

[BREEN]

ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE SEEN

IS A WHOLE GENERATION

OF VETERANS:

WHO HAVE COME BACK

FROM THE CONFLICTS

IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

WITH A VERY DEEP, PERSONAL

UNDERSTANDING OF THIS CHALLENGE.

WE'VE SEEN RETURNING VETERANS

GO INTO THE RENEWABLE

ENERGY INDUSTRY,

INSTALLING SOLAR PANELS

AND STARTING COMPANIES.

THEY SEE NOT ONLY

THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE FUTURE,

BUT THEY ALSO SEE A MISSION.

THEY SEE A CONTINUATION

OF PUBLIC SERVICE

THAT DROVE THEM:

TO RAISE THEIR HAND

AND VOLUNTEER TO PUT ON

THE UNIFORM IN THE FIRST PLACE.

WE DID NOT END THE STONE AGE

BECAUSE WE RAN OUT OF STONES.

WE FOUND SOMETHING BETTER.

WINSTON CHURCHILL

IS ALLEGED TO HAVE SAID

THAT AMERICANS CAN ALWAYS BE

COUNTED ON TO DO THE RIGHT THING

AFTER EXHAUSTING

EVERY OTHER POSSIBILITY.

WE'RE GETTING TOWARDS

THE END OF EXHAUSTING

ALL THOSE OTHER POSSIBILITIES.

[PARENTI]

THE RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE

INVOLVES A TYPE:

OF INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.

WE NEED TO LEAVE BEHIND

THE TECHNOLOGIES

BASED ON FOSSIL FUELS

AND SHIFT TOWARDS

A CLEAN-TECH RENAISSANCE.

THE PATH FORWARD

ALREADY EXISTS.

[FUERTH]

IF YOU LOOK AT THE RATE AT WHICH

THE TECHNOLOGY IS IMPROVING,

THIS ACTUALLY:

IS AN ECONOMIC BOON.

DOING WHA WE SHOULD PROACTIVELY

TO DEAL WITH CLIMATE CHANGE

BECOMES PAR OF THE SOLUTION SE TO WHAT WE SHOULD

BE DOING PROACTIVELY

TO DEAL WITH THE ECONOMIC

STRENGTH OF THE COUNTRY.

[BREEN]

THESE ARE THE PLAYS

THAT ARE GONNA DEFINE

THE 21st CENTURY EITHER WAY.

WE'LL IMPROVE OUR SECURITY

AND WE'LL IMPROVE

OUR WAY OF LIFE.

WE'LL IMPROVE OUR ECONOMY.

WE MAY ALSO HEAD OFF ONE

OF THE LARGEST RISKS WE FACE.

[PARENTI]

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING

IS FOR PEOPLE TO SEE

HOW ACTUALLY TANGIBLE AND, LIKE,

WITHIN POSSIBLE GRASP

THIS CHANGE IS.

[FUERTH]

I DON'T THINK THAT HUMANITY

IS GUARANTEED A PASS

OUT OF THE PROBLEMS THA IT IS CREATING FOR ITSELF.

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