The Foreign Service Journal, April 2010

66 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L A P R I L 2 0 1 0 preserve not our way of life, but our planet itself? Can more than 190 na- tions come together to overcome the “tragedy of the commons,” making sac- rifices for a global good? And how do key countries take the lead? Assuming the G-2 (i.e., the U.S. and China) are all that really matter, how does “Chimerica” align interests suffi- ciently to avoid mutual destruction due to skyrocketing levels of CO 2 emis- sions? Perhaps most importantly, when will we stop putting the resolu- tion of this matter in the hands of our children and grandchildren? Glass sets the stage by having U.S. President-elect Joe Benton come to of- fice with a mandate for change (yes, it sounds familiar). Committed to com- pletion of an overwhelming domestic agenda, including the relocation of mil- lions of Americans from areas ravaged by hurricanes, floods and drought, Benton finds out during his transition period that the effects of climate change are going to be much worse than previously predicted, and the bil- lions of dollars thought needed are re- ally trillions of dollars. Undaunted, Benton appoints a Sec- retary of State willing to confront some difficult policy choices. Larry Olsen identifies China (already the number- one greenhouse gas emitter for a quar- ter-century) as the problem at the heart of the impending global disaster. Successive Kyoto Protocols have failed to enforce any real changes in behav- ior. Without Chinese acquiescence — and, by implication, that of India and other “developing” nations — to real cuts, the effects of climate change will continue to spiral in a fateful feedback loop, and country after country will face unlivable conditions for millions of their citizens. After negotiations fail repeatedly, a B O O K S