I recently returned from a three-week work-related trip to Europe. It was encouraging to see steps being taken there to mitigate the effects of climate change.
National governments are passing fossil fuel cap-and-trade laws. In Germany, mile after mile of solar panel arrays flank freeways. In Amsterdam, bicycling is not just a sport. It’s also a free, healthful and environmentally friendly means of commuting to work. One of the days I was in Paris was car-free to celebrate the Paris Agreement of 2015. Only commercial vehicles were permitted within city limits, and the Champs-Élysées, usually clogged with traffic and redolent of noxious exhaust fumes, was transformed into a tranquil, congenial pedestrian mall.