Global-Warming Authoritarianism February 20, 2008 Irvine, CA--
Many people are calling for drastic political action to cope
with climate change. But the authors of a new book, The Climate
Change Challenge and the Failure of Democracy, go much further,
claiming that global warming can be effectively dealt with only
by "an authoritarian form of government."  In an article
promoting the book, co-author David Shearman praises China's
recent ban on plastic shopping bags, expressing special
admiration for its authoritarian quality. "The importance of the
decision," he writes, "lies in the fact that China can do it by
edict and close the factories."  "Views like this reveal an ugly
and ominous aspect of the political frenzy surrounding global
warming," said Dr. Keith Lockitch, a resident fellow of the Ayn
Rand Institute. "Though easy to dismiss as overwrought and
atypical, such views expose a very real authoritarianism
underlying the calls for action on climate change.  "While few
global-warming activists are willing