Political parties often take advantage of denial and fear in a moment of change. This is a well understood phenomenon that often leads to scapegoat-ism: blaming outsiders, such as immigrants, or racial and religious minorities. The phenomenon is behind Brexit and the violence in the political cycles in the US and EU.
Graciela ChichilniskyWhile denial leads to certainty, it is only the certainty of death. This is true for individuals and also for civilizations.
Graciela ChichilniskyTrees and clean energy [are] the long-run solution but we have no time to wait for the long run. We need a short-run solution now, and one that encourages and facilitates the transition to the long-run solution.
Graciela ChichilniskyThe first reaction to trauma is denial, then comes anger and finally, acceptance. I think the US is still between denial and anger, and I hope we will reach acceptance because almost perversely, right now, only the US has the technology that is needed for global economic change.
Graciela ChichilniskyCarbon negative power plants can provide energy while they overcome poverty and change economic values in the right direction.
Graciela ChichilniskyWe are still learning how exactly the Earth reacts to increased CO2 and other greenhouse gases. We know it leads to warming seas which are melting the North and the South Poles, rising and starting to swallow entire coastal areas in the US and elsewhere, as the New York Times article documents.
Graciela Chichilnisky