Al Sikes has been a volunteer columnist with the Spy since 2016. Benefitting from a career in Washington, D.C., including his appointment to chair the Federal Communications Commission by President George H.W. Bush, Al has used those experiences to shape a consistently pragmatic outlook on public policy as a lifelong Republican. The Spy has been grateful for his unique point of view.
Recently, Al started to reflect on the issue of global warming in a six-part series entitled “The Issue of Our Time,” where he has drawn from his political instincts but also as an active beekeeper for ten years. In these essays, listed below, Al documents his journey of research, as well as his conclusion that leadership and sacrifice are needed to avoid inevitable catastrophe.
The Spy sat down with Al a few weeks ago at the Easton studio to sum up his findings.
The Issue of Our Time (Part One)
The Controversy Thickens (Part Two)
Too Often, Blinded By Inertia (Part Three)
Is America’s Leadership Optional? (Part Four)
What Do We Comprehend? (Part Five)
Harm and Probability (Part Six)
Al Sikes is the former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission under George H.W. Bush. Al recently published Culture Leads Leaders Follow published by Koehler Books.
This video is approximately ten minutes in length
Hugh (Jock) Beebe says
Mr. Sikes’s concluding emphasis on”becoming fully engaged” is what seems currently lacking across the political and social spectra.
Adaptation to the effects of climate change will necessitate adopting new ways of doing previously normal things – across essentially all aspects of daily life. Because we have dismissed the early alarm calls of climate scientists, and because we now confront the impact of climate change at increasing levels, there may be sudden implication of change. This is a probability because time left to mitigate climate change is rapidly declining.
With rapid change will come “winners and losers” in the classical sense. But that has always been so when our society has encountered immutable force that contradicts the status quo.
Yes, what is needed is sincere commitment to “comprehending the issue of our time.” Mr. Sikes makes clear through orderly dialogue that can be readily heard, a gently presented but powerful message, that we should attend to learning what’s actually going on.
Barbara Denton says
Perhaps Mr. Sikes should sign up to receive some Climate Truth from CFACT, the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow. Better yet, he can go see their new ground breaking film Climate Hustle 2: Rise of the Monarch which will be shown in cinemas nationwide. I believe it will be in theaters April 21. It is going to be shown at the Salisbury Cinemas. Climate Hustle 2 will not only peel back the shaky facts surrounding global warming science, but also explore some of the motivations, ranging from money and power to politics and ideology, that drive it.