Bill McKibben hews to the bone, again:

Climate change, above all issues, requires a transformative and not an incremental vision. We have fundamental change to make, and a very short window to make it in — Obama’s typical (and often quite savvy) little-bit-at-a-time approach doesn’t square with the physics and chemistry that govern this debate.

It’s that physics and chemistry that really trouble me. I understand political reality, and I’m glad I don’t have Obama’s job; it’s tough. But I know that reality reality trumps political reality — I know that unless he shows some powerful leadership soon we’re going to lose this fight. At which point the question of who’s president will be less important.

I often express this in a slightly different form: Keep pushing the Earth System out of equilibrium and eventually you find yourself in a fight with both Mother Nature and Father Physics, refereed by the Universe. Anyone who understands even a little about science should find the prospects of that terrifying beyond words.

As for Obama and other policymakers or, dare I say it, leaders: I would give anything to instill a genuine sense of urgency in them about our energy and climate situation, to cure them once and for all of their addiction to politically safe gradualism that’s bringing us much closer to the cliff edge much too quickly.