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Within only a few years, global warming has emerged from scientific speculation into an environmental threat of worldwide concern. Yet the scientific community remains uncertain as to the long-term trends and effects of climate change, and this uncertainty has been seized on as justification for inaction by an international community reluctant to bear the costs of policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Valuing Climate Change presents concrete, economic evidence of the need for action. Fankhauser assesses the costs of a doubling of GHG emissions to be a significant percentage of gross world product; a figure which he then compares to the costs of reducing emissions. In his comparison, h...
The Government's decision to set a unilateral Carbon Price Floor could have a "devastating effect" on UK industry and will artificially raise electricity prices for consumers, while having no overall impact on emissions. Unless the price of carbon is increased at an EU-wide level, taking action on our own will have no overall effect on emissions other than to out-source them. Energy generators and heavy industry could be subject to an 'exorbitant' top-up tax of up to £25 per tonne of CO2 under current plans, because the price of carbon in the rest of the EU is so low. Electricity prices will increase as the price floor keeps the cost of carbon higher than in other countries, effectively sub...
Funding of the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) will cease at the end of March 2011, and Defra's capability and presence to improve the sustainability of Government will be increased. Whilst regretting the Government's decision to stop funding the SDC, the Committee sees an opportunity to reassess and revitalise the architecture for delivering sustainable development. The experience of SDC's work within Government departments to improve their sustainability skills and performance is at risk of being lost, so the Government must ensure that this knowledge and expertise is absorbed by departments. Sustainable development needs to be driven from the centre of Government by a Minister an...
Leading economists address the ongoing challenges to economics in theory and practice in a time of political and economic crises. More than a decade of financial crises, sovereign debt problems, political conflict, and rising xenophobia and protectionism has left the global economy unsettled and the ability of economics as a discipline to account for episodes of volatility uncertain. In this book, leading economists consider the state of their discipline in a world of ongoing economic and political crises. The book begins with three sweeping essays by Nobel laureates Kenneth Arrow (in one of his last published works), Amartya Sen, and Joseph Stiglitz that offer a summary of the theoretical f...
Proceedings from 'Berlin Workshop: Climate Governance and Developement' conference held September 28-30, 2008, in preparation for the World Development Report 2010.
This World Bank study brings together the forecast climate change impacts, costs vs. benefits of adaptation measures, and recommendations from the work conducted in Macedonia.
The failure of the Copenhagen climate conference in December 2009 revealed major flaws in the way the world's policy makers have attempted to prevent dangerous levels of increases in global temperatures. The expert authors in this specially commissioned collection focus on the likely costs and benefits of a very wide range of policy options, including geo-engineering, mitigation of CO2, methane and 'black carbon', expanding forest, research and development of low-carbon energy and encouraging green technology transfer. For each policy, authors outline all of the costs, benefits and likely outcomes, in fully referenced, clearly presented chapters accompanied by shorter, critical alternative perspectives. To further stimulate debate, a panel of economists, including three Nobel laureates, evaluate and rank the attractiveness of the policies. This authoritative and thought-provoking book will challenge readers to form their own conclusions about the best ways to respond to global warming.
A high profile thought experiment asks leading scholars to make cases for spending additional aid money to combat major world problems.
Identifies the major weaknesses in the current United Nations system and proposes fundamental reforms to address each. This title is also available as Open Access.