Can Twitter save civilization? We’re about to find out.

 

As the clock winds down on the big climate negotiation in Copenhagen this December (formally known as the 15th Conference of the Parties, or COP-15), the future of the planet and its inhabitants may be in the hands of tweeters, especially tots, teens and twenty-somethings.

That’s because our diplomats and political leaders appear to be defaulting on their responsibility to act against global climate change.  Rather than busting barriers and forcing breakthroughs on the most complicated and critical challenge of all time, key government leaders are retreating into the rhetoric of low expectations.

 

Majority Leader Harry Reid hints the Senate is too busy to take up a climate bill this year – a delay that  Jim Rogers of Duke Energy predicts could mean that no climate bill will clear Congress until 2011, after next  year’s congressional election.  The rest of the world, which has been waiting for U.S. leadership, is witnessing an impotent democracy.

This is useful piece of research, holding out a path to closing down all of China's coal plants.

 

Even if you discount the wind potential you can make up the difference with geothermal and solar - especially large scale solar.