Re:February breaks global temperature records by 'shocking' ...
by twoodfin on Monday March 14, 2016 @08:55AM
(#11282555)
Are you sure that's the optimal behavior for everyone? If the entire developed world took this advice, the result would be economically devastating, particularly in places like China.
A poor person in China cooks with coal instead of electricity from wind or solar because it's cheaper and energy costs represent a huge fraction of his daily expenses.
A well-to-do person in Connecticut doesn't mind that his electricity bill is much higher because of carbon taxes or renewables mandates because energy costs are a much smaller fraction of his expenses, and well-worth a cooler world for his children.
I am convinced that a richer world is much more likely to both reduce CO2 and better adapt to rising temperatures than a poorer world. It will also have the virtue of being a nicer place to live.
This is a long way to say the goal of policy should be reduced carbon intensity, not reduced growth.
A poor person in China cooks with coal instead of electricity from wind or solar because it's cheaper and energy costs represent a huge fraction of his daily expenses.
A well-to-do person in Connecticut doesn't mind that his electricity bill is much higher because of carbon taxes or renewables mandates because energy costs are a much smaller fraction of his expenses, and well-worth a cooler world for his children.
I am convinced that a richer world is much more likely to both reduce CO2 and better adapt to rising temperatures than a poorer world. It will also have the virtue of being a nicer place to live.
This is a long way to say the goal of policy should be reduced carbon intensity, not reduced growth.