Global Warming - Know Your Enemy

Only $800 billion a year for six years.  Chicken feed.  That is what the alarmists are saying it will take to keep global warming down to 2 degrees Centigrade.

The philanthropy phools don't have that much money, but they think that by focusing their money on "pinch points" they can force us all to pony up.

From that granddaddy of all climate alarmist organizations, the William and Flora Hewitt foundation comes this advice for other foundations:

Focus

Know the facts, know the strategies, and especially know the decision-making venue. The energy industry is large and is populated by enormous vested interests—and they are generally inclined to resist change. The scale of the energy business is also huge—some $4 trillion per year, worldwide. Philanthropy in the field therefore needs to have an intense focus, aimed at changing decisions in the pinch points in the system. Building codes, utility

regulations, and auto fuel efficiency standards, for example, can affect hundreds of billions of dollars of capital investments, switching these capital flows from high-carbon to low-carbon alternatives.

Design to Win

Build the strength to win in the venue. Use whatever tools are necessary to get the job done. When a venue is selected, learn it well, and then select the best strategies to win. The list below hints at the range of options available and gives examples of where they can be used. But these are not random choices and are not equally likely to succeed in any situation. Venue knowledge can tell you which to use, when, and with what intensity.

Economics arguments (State Public Utility Commission (PUC), RPS)

Technical (building codes)

Science (California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32))

Legal (Pavley, PUC)

Public opinion (RPS)

Grasstops (AB 32)

Grassroots (California Zero-Emission Vehicle Regulations)

Stay the course

Social change is never fast. Large-scale change requires funding the full cycle, from idea origination to selling to early adopters to mass rollout to serious implementation. Jumping in and out is unlikely to produce serious results.

Join with others

Very few foundations have the mass, patience, and expertise to transform decisions in any one venue. An organized strategy can use the strengths of colleagues to win.