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“Hell and High Water” in the News

A nice UPI story on the book was picked up by ClimateArk, among others:

A former energy official under President Bill Clinton has released a new book on global warming, calling on the country to address the issue by changing how — and which — energy sources are consumed.

“Hell and High Water: Global Warming, the Solution and the Politics,” by Joseph Romm, Clinton’s assistant secretary of energy for renewables and energy efficiency, comes as global warming has received attention unseen before.

Congress, too, is starting to press the issue, while the debate over costs and benefits is likely to play a major role.

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In the book, Romm outlines strategies which he says can help avoid possible global catastrophe. Included in his proposals are: creating more fuel efficient cars through hybrid technology, constructing 1 million wind turbines and capturing and storing the carbon dioxide from coal plants.

Speaking recently at the Center for American Progress, in Washington, Romm recommended a California model of energy consumption for the rest of the country.

Californians emit two-thirds less in carbon dioxide than what the average American emits, and yet their energy bills are the same, Romm said.

“The cost of action is much lower than people thought,” said Romm, “but the main cause (of inactivity is that) people don’t understand the cost of inaction.”