> We’re used to war as metaphor: the war on poverty, the war on drugs, the war on cancer. Usually this is just a rhetorical device, a way of saying, “We need to

> We’re used to war as metaphor: the war on poverty, the war on drugs, the war on cancer. Usually this is just a rhetorical device, a way of saying, “We need to focus our attention and marshal our forces to fix something we don’t like.” None of these wars are going well. Perhaps we should rethink the whole "let's declare war on [bad thing]" >As investigative journalists have shown over the past year, the oil giant Exxon knew all about global warming for decades—yet spent millions to spread climate-denial propaganda. The only way to overcome that concerted opposition—from the very same industrial forces that opposed America’s entry into World War II—is to adopt a wartime mentality, rewriting the old mindset that stands in the way of victory. “The first step is we have to win,” says Jonathan Koomey, an energy researcher at Stanford University. “That is, we have to have broad acceptance among the broader political community that we need urgent action, not just nibbling around the edges, which is what the D.C. crowd still thinks.” The fact is, all these wars constitute a further denigration of individual liberties for some aims of a lofty collective goal. That's what's meant by "war". I imagine what the author is trying to say is that any kind of "climate denial" or dissent be discouraged which would amount to a restriction on speech. And like the other wars, I imagine these restrictions will last much longer than anticipated. You can believe that global warming is real and a threat, but still be against a political solution. Nothing was ever solved by just making people poorer. Perhaps individuals should focus their efforts on a positive solution to global change such as changing where and how people live. This normally takes place through the markets. So if someone lives in a high-flood risk zone, they pay higher insurance rates or suffer the consequences when a flood does hit. This discourages them from building in these areas. No forced evacuation necessary. But in order for a peaceful restructuring of people's lives to account for a changing world, we have to let these effects play out and dispel the notion that someone is entitled to something by virtue of the past.