Magnetize

Markets have been through a rough patch lately. But it’s time for us to give them a new job to do. The powerful economic forces that have trashed our planet are the only forces powerful enough to save it.

So are we doing all we can to put markets to work to drive down global warming pollution —the most serious environmental problem—
while there’s still time?

We need to magnetize ourselves. Markets, acting like a magnet, create a pull on people and businesses. So when a market is designed
to protect the environment, it attracts brainpower and capital toward green solutions, aligning private incentives with the public good.

It’s all about getting the rules right. The global warming crisis, like the recent turmoil in the financial system, shows why we need to design markets well and regulate risks appropriately.

A worldwide carbon market will combat global warming by pulling inventors and investors—and you and me and everyone—toward low-carbon energy solutions.

Markets can unleash people’s creativity, guide entrepreneurs and catalyze innovation. By harnessing markets to protect the environment, we can align human aspirations with planetary needs—and save ourselves from ourselves.

~Fred Krupp