On Global Warming, Start Small

Climate change is global, as emissions from one country enter the atmosphere and affect every other country. It is created by every form of economic activity, but its effects will not become critical for another generation. Today, it is practically impossible for more than 190 countries to negotiate — and ultimately ratify — an agreement that would affect all facets of their economies in order to deal with a problem so far in the future. But there is an alternative to this top-down approach to climate change: a bottom-up strategy that stands a much better chance of working.