It took nearly sixty years for a meaningful climate change bill to run the politicalgauntlet from Capitol Hill to the Oval Office. Why?
From mavericks to party standard-bearers, U.S. Senators, members of the House of Representatives, and presidential candidates have campaigned for four decades espousing their intentions to address the impacts of climatechange.
Glacial: The Inside Story of Climate Politics
is the firstInside-the-Beltway account to lay bare the machinations of what went wrong inWashington-how and why our leaders failed to act on climate change as mountingscientific evidence underscored the urgency to do so. Glacial tells astory of behind-the-scenes infighting and power struggles that blocked orderailed federal legislative progress on climate change, even in times ofbipartisanship and with polls showing most Americans favored action.
The good news today is that public opinion is at its highest level of support for climate action, from corporate boardrooms embracing sustainability for business reasons to movements led by passionate younger generations who can't afford to stand mute because it is they who will inherit the worst environmental catastrophes. If the missed opportunities in Washingtonare instructive, the path to doing so is clear. Our elected officials must use their offices not solely for the power and prestige it bestows upon them personally, but for the public good-and they must do so while there is still time.
By:
Chelsea Henderson
Imprint: Turner Publishing Company
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: New edition
Dimensions:
Height: 228mm,
Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781684429578
ISBN 10: 1684429579
Pages: 416
Publication Date: 19 September 2024
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
AUTHOR’S NOTE PROLOGUE: AT LAST PRESIDENTS PAST PASSED THE BUCK LYNDON JOHNSON: A STARTLING BRIEFING RICHARD NIXON: THE RELUCTANT ENVIRONMENTALIST GERALD FORD: LET'S SAVE GAS JIMMY CARTER: WEAR A SWEATER RONALD REAGAN: FIXING THE OZONE THE 1980s: CONGRESS STUDIES THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT AL GORE: NEITHER FIRST NOR LAST A NEW PRIORITY UNDENIABLE MEANWHILE, EXXON KNEW THE 1988 ELECTION: THE WHITE HOUSE EFFECT PLANKTON MAN THREE MEN AND A BABY THE GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH ACT THE RIO EARTH SUMMIT THE 1990s: MADE IN THE USA THE 1992 ELECTION: THE COMEBACK KID CHOOSES MR. OZONE DEMOCRATS GET BTU’D CLINTON AND GORE MEET THE “CONTRACT WITH AMERICA” INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE TALKS HEAT UP COAL'S GREAT FLEX TOOTHLESS IN KYOTO ONE LAWYER'S FRUSTRATION A DEATH IN THE SENATE THE EARLY 2000s: MAVERICKS AND BEACHHEADS MCCAIN DONS A CAPE SAY WHAT? A DYNAMIC DUO TRY, TRY AGAIN KATRINA BLOWS IT FOR BUSH AN UNLIKELY CLIMATE CHAMP ON BARK BEETLES MAKING HISTORY THE DIRTY DEMS LAYING A BEACHHEAD THE 2008 ELECTION: DRILL, BABY, DRILL 2009 TO 2010: THE OLD COLLEGE TRY TWO OUT OF THREE PARTISANSHIP ON DISPLAY VICTORY FUMBLE A NEW MAVERICK SAUSAGE-MAKING INTERCEPTION THE 2010s, PART I: THE DECADE OF DISASTROUS DISPUTATION DEEP POLARIZATION TAKES ROOT THE CLEAN POWER PLAN THE ECORIGHT SURGES “I’M NOT A SCIENTIST, BUT…” WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS THE 2010s, PART II: DESPAIR THE 2016 ELECTION: BUT HER EMAILS . . . TRUMP THUMPS CLIMATE MCCAIN SAVES THE DAY, ONE LAST TIME STATES STEP UP CLIMATE VOTERS CLAP BACK THE GREEN NEW DEAL GEN Z ACTIVATES ONE TRILLION TREES 2020 AND BEYOND: THE GREEN LINING THE 2020 ELECTION: A SIGH OF RELIEF BUT FIRST, UNFINISHED BUSINESS BUILD BACK BETTER ADVOCATES FLEX NEW MUSCLES THE MANCHIN ROLLER-COASTER RIDE “KEEP NEGOTIATING, CHUCK!” BFD POSTSCRIPT ACKNOWLEDGMENTS REFERENCES INDEX
Chelsea Henderson has worked in environmental policy on Capitol Hill for more than 25 years seeking bipartisan solutions to the threats of climate change. She was senior policy advisor for Sen. John Warner (R-VA) during his long-term effort to enact climate change legislation, and she staffed the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee; her tenure spanning the chairmanships of Senators John H. Chafee and Bob Smith. Currently, Chelsea hosts the environmental podcast, EcoRight Speaks, and consults on pro-climate solutions for Washington-based advocacy groups. Her op-eds in support of clean energy and robust climate change solutions have been published in The Hill, Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, and other publications. A cum laude graduate of Boston University's College of Liberal Arts (B.A.) and School of Education (M.Ed.), Chelsea has two adult sons, two perpetually hungry cats, and lives in the Washington, DC metro area.
Reviews for Glacial: The Untold History of Climate Politics
""Armed with her experience working on federal climate policy, Henderson artfully presents the narrative of six decades of Congressional attempts—including a few times when we almost got it right—to respond to the threat of climate change. Glacial is a must-read for anyone hoping to help solve this global crisis and for that, I’m grateful Chelsea wrote this book. Understanding the history of climate politics is important to stimulating more progress in the future."" —Former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman ""It's hard to capture 60 years of federal efforts to understand and respond to climate change, but Chelsea expertly takes us through each decade, highlighting the unlikely champions who gave it their all—both in front of the camera and behind the scenes—to solve this global threat. You might think you know everything there is to know about the politics of climate change, but Glacial likely will give you new insights."" —Former South Carolina Congressman Bob Inglis ""Rarely is a nonfiction book about climate legislation referred to as a gripping page-turner, but I found Glacial by Chelsea Henderson to be so. Glacial is compelling, well-researched, and riveting insider storytelling—the perfect climate change book for these times. When one learns of yet another raging thousand-acre fire or deadly drought…and wonders how did our government not protect Americans from this horrible crisis, well, this book tells the heartbreaking story. I wish every American, no matter their politics, would read this book. It's a good reminder, with factual detail, that for many, power and money are more important than a healthy, sustainable environment for people and wildlife, and we must reject this every time we vote."" —C. K. Westbrook, environmentalist, activist, and science fiction author of The Impact Series ""Chelsea is a natural born storyteller who takes 60 years of complex climate policy history and distills it into a very engaging and meaningful read. In Glacial, she highlights both the unsung heroes of attempts to pass climate legislation and elevates a bipartisan cast of champions who might surprise you. You’ll be excited and intrigued about climate politics!” —Sara Beth Aubrey, founder of Elevate Ag & IN-CLIMATE “How and why have American political leaders failed for decades to accept the objective truth about a climate crisis that could one day render much of our home planet unlivable? It’s all in this well-written, well-researched and remarkable book, as compelling as a good suspense story, as essential as a morality tale.” —Kim Heacox, author of Jimmy Bluefeather and On Heaven’s Hill