A Review of Chelsea Henderson’s Glacial
I am generally not a fan of nonfiction books; however, the topic of Glacial addressing what concerns just about all inhabitants of our planet these days interested me. I was quite impressed by the amount of effort it took to finally pass legislation in 2022 that addressed environmental issues comprehensively. Henderson proves to be a well-read, highly informed author.
After going through a list of past presidents during whose tenure no concrete action was taken regarding the climate, the author mentions, Rick Boucher, a Democrat in Congress who believed in restoring the environment despite representing “Southwest Virginia, a district known for its coal production.”
With President Obama taking the helm in 2009, hopes grew for more concrete action. Due to the urgency of the economic situation, Obama prioritized the economy and environmental issues had to be placed on the back burner. President Obama’s dedication to the environment, however, soon began to bear fruit. By May 2009, the American Clean Energy and Security Act was introduced, and it was heralded as “the dawn of the clean energy age.”
Initially, Republicans repeatedly took a stance against any bill addressing climate change. However, with the passage of time, a number of Republican lawmakers also joined the fight to save the planet. After all, in Henderson’s words, “climate denial ran counter to the party’s rich history of conservation and environmental stewardship.” The author describes Senator McCain as a “climate maverick” and refers to his point of view as differing in a major way from that of then-President Trump.
Henderson blames the Trump Administration for the lack of a concrete policy regarding climate change but adds that some republicans developed an understanding of the importance of this concept. Bob Inglis, who represented “the most conservative district in the union” encouraged by his son, traveled to Antarctica and Greenland championing the fight against carbon emissions. His view on this issue, however, differed from his colleagues on the Left. Inglis tried to entice other Republicans to support solutions to the climate, but one that favored the free market. He and his backers in Congress argued that for efforts toward addressing climate change to be meaningful and continuous, they had to be bipartisan.
According to Henderson, by 2018, proponents of legislation addressing climate change were able to overcome the cynics. The author refers to the “Green New Deal” introduced by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as being the first bill that aimed to “revitalize America.”
Henderson’s account is that of an author who experienced first hand the internal struggles and clashes in Congress over climate change. Glacial is a celebration of those within the policymaking circles who struggled relentlessly toward the endorsement of policies that addressed this urgent issue.