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Carter was probably exactly on track for when we needed to start taking it seriously if we wanted to avoid significant warming entirely, given how long even rel

Carter was probably exactly on track for when we needed to start taking it seriously if we wanted to avoid significant warming entirely, given how long even relatively fast action on these kinds of things usually takes, and considering energy use and sources are a lot harder to change quickly without major economic harm than something like reducing use of chlorofluorocarbons or lead. Instead, we waited until we were well into "well it's already gonna be bad, but we can maybe keep it from being even worse" territory before we even sorta started caring, on a policy and governance level.

jimmygrapes 4y ago
People give Nixon a lot of shit, and rightly so, but it was his time when the most significant effort (perhaps on the planet) was out forth to address environmental issues. Some of it might have been honest, a lot was likely political; he's quoted as saying “All politics is a fad. Your fad is going right now. Get what you can, and here’s what I can get you” when talking about it [0]. The source linked for that quote is actually a really fascinating and reasonably apolitical read. One might wonder how different things would be if it took until Carter or later. [0]: https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/richard-nixon-and-the-rise-of-american-environmentalism https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/richard-nixon-a...
- Spooky23 4y ago
  Nixon is a really interesting man. Probably one of the smarter and certainly tragic modern presidents. His alcoholism, depression and temperament really bested him.
  - brimble 4y ago
    I'd have to do some thinking/reading to be sure, but I wouldn't rule out that he'd (barely) make my list of top-5 post-war US Presidents. And I'm not even a Republican, at all. That despite being an actual crook with, to put it mildly, questionable mental health. Which really says something about the quality of the rest.

jimmygrapes 4y ago

People give Nixon a lot of shit, and rightly so, but it was his time when the most significant effort (perhaps on the planet) was out forth to address environmental issues. Some of it might have been honest, a lot was likely political; he's quoted as saying “All politics is a fad. Your fad is going right now. Get what you can, and here’s what I can get you” when talking about it [0]. The source linked for that quote is actually a really fascinating and reasonably apolitical read. One might wonder how different things would be if it took until Carter or later. [0]: https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/richard-nixon-and-the-rise-of-american-environmentalism https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/richard-nixon-a...

Spooky23 4y ago
Nixon is a really interesting man. Probably one of the smarter and certainly tragic modern presidents. His alcoholism, depression and temperament really bested him.
- brimble 4y ago
  I'd have to do some thinking/reading to be sure, but I wouldn't rule out that he'd (barely) make my list of top-5 post-war US Presidents. And I'm not even a Republican, at all. That despite being an actual crook with, to put it mildly, questionable mental health. Which really says something about the quality of the rest.