THE QUESTION

If theories about climate change are right, people 1OO years from now will be enraged we haven't done much more to reduce carbon emissions. So, getting radical, what "direct action" should we take?

Posted by Miriam Leitao and David Ignatius on February 1, 2007 8:00 AM

FROM THE PANEL

Bashir Goth is a veteran journalist, freelance writer, the first Somali blogger and editor of a leading news website. He is also a regular contributor to major Middle Eastern and African newspapers and online journals.

You Benefited From Fossil Fuels, Why Can’t We?

Fossil fuels allowed the industrial world to develop. Now that the Third World is benefiting from them, the West suddenly says, “No more!” It's a conspiracy.

Bashir Goth Somalia/UAE | 14 COMMENTS
Feb 5, 2007 at 3:02 PM
William M. Gumede is Associate Editor at Africa Confidential. He is Research Fellow at the School of Public and Development Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. He recently released the bestselling book Thabo Mbeki and the Battle for the Soul of the ANC.

Abandon Kyoto; Don't Be In Denial

Not surprisingly, the consequences of climate change are worst for Africa and developing countries -– although they are least responsible for climate change.

William M. Gumede South Africa | 17 COMMENTS
Feb 3, 2007 at 3:23 AM
Shekhar Gupta is the editor-in-chief of The Indian Express in New Delhi.

India Can't Handle This Heat

Winter seems to have disappeared overnight and farmers across India are hurting. But when the next round of Kyoto comes around, India will expect the U.S. to pay its fair share.

shekhar gupta India | 9 COMMENTS
Feb 2, 2007 at 6:53 AM
Saul Singer is Editorial Page Editor and author of the weekly column “Interesting Times” for the Jerusalem Post. He is the author of Confronting Jihad: Israel's Struggle and the World After 9/11. Before moving to Israel from the Washington area in 1994, Mr. Singer served for ten years as an advisor on the personal and committee staffs of the United States Congress, including the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Senate Banking Committee, and Senator Connie Mack.

Raise Gas Taxes & Go Nuclear

Nuclear power, despite its reputation, is cleaner and safer than its carbon-based alternatives, even once the problem of waste storage is factored in.

Saul Singer Jerusalem, Israel | 31 COMMENTS
Feb 1, 2007 at 8:00 AM
Miriam Leitao is a reporter and columnist for O Globo and Radio CBN in Brazil. She is also a commentator on Globo TV Network and runs her own blog, www.miriamleitao.com, hosted at Globo online at www.oglobo.com.br. She was awarded Columbia University’s Maria Moors Cabot Prize in 2005.

Radical! It's the New Sensible

Yes, let's be radical. It’s the only sensible option. We cannot wait a hundred years to see if theories about climate change are correct. It'll be too late. When people buy insurance to protect themselves or their property, it’s not...

Miriam Leitao Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 773 COMMENTS
Feb 1, 2007 at 6:03 AM
Dr. Ali Ettefagh serves as a director of Highmore Global Corporation, an investment company in emerging markets of Eastern Europe, CIS, and the Middle East. He is the co-author of several books on trade conflict, resolution of international trade disputes, conflicts in letters of credit, trade-related banking transactions, sovereign debt, arbitration and dispute resolutions and publications specific to the oil and gas, communication, aviation and finance sectors. Dr. Ettefagh is a member of the executive committee and the board of directors of The Development Foundation, an advisor to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and an advisor to a number of European companies. Dr. Ettefagh speaks Persian (Farsi), English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and Turkish.

Consume Much Less

Climate change is no longer a theory; it’s a harsh reality, impacting the lives of everyone. Its pace and momentum of the change is perhaps its most alarming aspect....

Ali Ettefagh Tehran, Iran | 37 COMMENTS
Feb 1, 2007 at 5:55 AM

READER RESPONSE

» Bo Ekman, Stockholm | Tomorrow the IPCC will begin publishing its new report on climate change. Theory becomes reality. You have asked for radical “direct action.” I offer...
» Geoffrey | Set a fast-paced agenda to regulate car and factory emissions agressively, and actually enforce it as well to solve the problem as quickly as possible...
» Robert Rose | Tax and prosecute the 20% (industry) responsible for 80% of the problem (Pareto's law). Tax and prosecute those polluters out of business in a general...
MORE RESPONSE

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