The planet needs a public relations department. Climate Change is boring. No one wants to talk about it. Three Presidential debates and barely a mention. America’s top journalists had the opportunity to grill our two candidates on the most pressing issues in the world and there was barely a word on the environment. The long-term fate of humanity did not make it to the list of priorities. It’s a drag on ratings and does not generate clicks on the website the next morning. The planet has no entertainment value.

Becoming a Soldier

Climate Change has not succeeded in getting into America’s DNA. The issue has two major problems: 1) it does not connect on a human level and 2) it cannot be solved quickly. We have no inspirational “ice bucket challenge” for the planet. Consistent and long-term initiatives are not conducive to an emotional burst of support. Thus, the issue needs to be framed more aggressively to engender a higher sense of urgency and ultimately action by the American public. It is time declare war. I am no longer a proponent for “Climate Change” or focused on “Saving the Planet”. Too boring. Too soft. Too defensive. And not aligned with American values. We don’t save things. We fight for things. Therefore, I am now a soldier in the “War on Human Extinction”.

The World is Flat?

The first battles must be against the anti-science tactics of Climate Change deniers and must be addressed head on. We can’t laud the efforts of science on in curing cancer, exploring travel to Mars and developing self-driving cars while at the same time allowing science to be denigrated. The actual scientific analysis of Climate Change must be simplified into bites that can be digested by a non-technical audience. Climate Change deniers are this generation’s “World is flat” proponents and need to be labelled as such. No person in a position of power or elected office should be allowed to skate on this topic. It is hard to position oneself as an agent of change when you are adopting a major policy position reminiscent of an ignorant belief espoused in the 1600’s. It is even harder to be on the wrong side of America’s War on Human Extinction. It’s downright unpatriotic. The opposition needs to be put in this box.

Getting into the Living Room

Because this is a long-term battle we will also need some gamification and some buzzwords to keep attention. Cue the creatives and the PR community. Great documentaries are helpful to educate intellectuals, but they do not attract the masses. As an example, let’s compare climate change to concussions. Both had overwhelming science as to their detrimental impact and people in power ignoring or downplaying the concerns. But concussions impacted our beloved NFL players and affected our Fantasy Football teams. A high-profile Hollywood movie on the concussion topic helped push the issue over the tipping point. Now there are few parents in America not aware of concussion risks. It influences decisions made about their children every day. The issue got into America’s living rooms and will never be downplayed again. Another prime example is the pollution campaign from the 1970’s featuring a crying Native American. The collective psyche of the country was touched and behavior changed.

The Scoreboard

Americans will rise to a challenge. Let’s develop a climate scoreboard and throw down the gauntlet. We need to define winning on key topics such as:

1) Heat index

2) Air quality

3) Sea level

Connect specific every day actions to the +/- on the scoreboard and frame public policy by how they impact the “Human Life Forever” scoreboard. Every American will be a player in this battle for survival.

Policy Becomes the Easy Part

As for the actual clean energy policy, the fight needs to be aggressive. This is war. This is not an issue that can afford to be soft-pedaled. As an example, let’s take the War on Human Extinction to one of the front lines. Republican candidates accused Democrats as of fighting a “war on coal”, positioned it as an assault on workers and an attack on a treasured American way of life. I am all for job creation, but not every job needs to be preserved. Coal as a fossil fuel has a negative impact on the planet and mining ranks as one of the least healthy occupations known to man. (Somebody dig up the statistics on life expectancy of coal workers, on the job deaths, lung disease, etc.). We need to give coal miners’ lungs the attention of NFL football players’ brains. Politicians should be criticized for promoting this way of life. It’s amoral to willingly destroy our planet and it’s an insult to tell people the only job for which they are qualified is in a “Death Trap” aka the coal mine. Mitch McConnell needs to be labeled the “death trap” proponent. Instead, let’s provide an economic incentive to build a solar panel or wind turbine plant in West Virginia. Enfranchise the manufacturing sector and the people who know how to build things in this country to lead the charge of winning on the “Human Life” scoreboard. This will also connect the technologists on the Coasts and the working class of Middle America. Energy policy and Climate Change are intertwined and because they touch all of us they are a connective thread. It gets all of America on the same page for the future. From a political tactics basis, I will let Mitch McConnell fight the coal war while I fight the War on Human Extinction.

Leadership Requires Walking the Walk

Instead of allowing “death trap” policies to take hold. Saving the planet needs to positioned as a bigger game. A greater challenge. The Space Race for the modern era. Becoming the world leader on Climate Change must be made synonymous with a truly great America. Only an overwhelming commitment to this cause will allow us to credibly lead others around the world. The Country does need to unite. America needs to come together to fight and win the “War on Human Extinction”.