A “climate cliff” is a point-of-no-return for the environment where man can’t reverse man-made environmental problems. “Climate cliff” has been cited in print since at least 2007, but became popular in 2012. Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein campaigned on stopping the “climate cliff” at least as early as February 19, 2012.
 
The term “fiscal cliff” became popular from speech by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke at the end of February 2012; many articles about the “climate cliff” acknowledge a borrowing from the term “fiscal cliff.” Politician and environmental activist Al Gore popularized “climate cliff” in a newspaper interview in November 2012.
 
     
Grist
14 Sep 2007 1:41 AM
Demand for oil remains strong despite price increases
By Clark Williams-Derry
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Any attempt to deal with climate change has got to recognize that it’s going to take external constraints — either dwindling supplies or political will — to keep us from filling up our tanks and driving over a climate cliff (to butcher a metaphor).
   
Corrente
The Wisdom of Jill Stein, Green Party Presidential Candidate
Sun, 02/19/2012 - 12:00am
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Jill Stein on the urgency of climate change:
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Absolutely [in response to supporting a national ban on fracking]. We should not be opening up new lines of carbon right now, like shale gas and shale oil, as well as tar sands oil, and we just cannot go there right now if we do not want to go over the climate cliff. We are already a bit over the climate cliff right now as it stands.
   
Jillmania! A Blog About Dr. Jill Stein
The Last Straw: Jill Stein and the Crisis of the Two-Party System
Posted March 28, 2012 by dylanfreak
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“We’re at a breaking point right now,” said Dr. Stein. She described all the anti-Progressive policies promoted by the current Democratic administration, with the full consent of the Republicans: “The massive bailouts of Wall Street, the layoffs on Main Street, the attacks on Medicare and Social Security, declining wages for workers, the expanding wars, the foreclosures, the privatization of education, rollback of racial justice, the dismantling of our civil liberties, the plundering of the environment and the driving of the planet over the climate cliff.”
 
Renew Economy
How to avoid a climate cliff
By Nick Robins on 25 October 2012
Doha: keeping options open
The run-up to the Doha climate negotiations (26 November to 7 December) is a good time to take stock of both policy aspirations and market realities.
 
Climate Science Watch
Climate cliff overshadows fiscal cliff
Posted on November 9, 2012 by Jordan Nichols
A recently released PricewaterhouseCoopers (or PwC) report, titled Too Late for Two Degrees?, suggests that, to meet even a goal of a 4° C increase in global mean temperatures the world must quadruple our current rate of decarbonization.
   
The Guardian (UK)
Al Gore calls on Barack Obama to ‘act boldly’ on climate change
Former vice-president and climate champion urges re-elected president to immediately begin pushing for a carbon tax
Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent
Tuesday 13 November 2012 12.04 EST
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In terms of policy specifics, Gore said he wanted the White House and Congress to start an immediate push for a carbon tax. “It will be difficult for sure but we can back away from the fiscal cliff and the climate cliff at the same time,” he said. “One way is with a carbon tax.”
 
It would require a balancing act, but “the most direct policy solution to the climate crisis is a carbon tax, offset by reductions in taxes on wages,” Gore went on to explain. “By including the carbon tax in the solution to the fiscal cliff we can [get] away from the climate cliff.”
   
The Hill—Energy and Environment Blog
Gore warns of ‘climate cliff,’ pushes carbon tax in ‘fiscal cliff’ talks
By Mario Trujillo - 11/13/12 01:32 PM ET
Former Vice President Al Gore called for a carbon tax to be part of the “fiscal cliff” negotiations in the lame-duck session of Congress.
 
Gore, a longtime supporter of the tax, said the extra revenue could be used to lower tax rates.
 
“It will be difficult for sure but we can back away from the fiscal cliff and the climate cliff at the same time,” Gore said in an interview with The Guardian. “One way is with a carbon tax.”
 
The Gateway Pundit
Goracle: Avoid Fiscal Cliff by Tackling Pretend Climate Cliff (Video)
Posted by Jim Hoft on Thursday, November 15, 2012, 3:41 PM
Man of peace and noted junk scientist, Al Gore, wants lawmakers to avoid the fiscal cliff by tackling the (pretend) climate cliff.
 
That way Al can make more money.