When a “solution” to a problem causes more damage than the problem, policymaking has gone awry. That’s where we often find ourselves with global warming today.

Activist organizations like Worldwatch argue that higher temperatures will make more people hungry, so drastic carbon cuts are needed. But a comprehensive new study published in Nature Climate Change led by researchers from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis has found that strong global climate action would cause far more hunger and food insecurity than climate change itself.

Algunas políticas parecen ser tan altruistas que es casi imposible imaginar cualquier objeción a las mismas. Por ejemplo, prestar pequeñas cantidades de dinero o perdonar deudas para ayudar a los extremadamente pobres parecen abordajes totalmente razonables. Sin embargo, el escrutinio de los mismos revela que estas políticas bien intencionadas son erróneas.

Politický jazyk, jenž se dotýká klimatických změn, se vyznačuje odvážnými sliby, jež nikdy nebudou splněny, a smělými cíli, kterých nelze dosáhnout. I proto je pozoruhodné přiznání bývalého australského premiéra Tonyho Abbotta, že by nikdy nepodepsal Pařížskou dohodu, kdyby v roce 2015 věděl, že se z ní Spojené státy stáhnou a že snaha o dosažení národních cílů poškodí australskou ekonomiku.

It’s very easy to form the view that the modern world is coming apart. We are constantly confronted with an onslaught of negativity: frightening headlines, alarming research findings, and miserable statistics.

There are indeed many things on the planet that we should be greatly concerned about. But fixating on horror stories means that we miss the bigger picture.

Inadequate and poor-quality power supply means frequent interruptions, poor voltage levels, and dissatisfied consumers across much of the country. Adding up all the losses in the system—including the losses due to energy dissipated in conductors, transformers and other equipment, along with pilferage by those who bypass meters, and losses from failure to recover the amount billed to consumers—India’s total energy losses came to 24% in 2015-16, significantly more than international norms.

Algumas políticas parecem tão altruístas que é quase impossível imaginar qualquer objecção a elas. Por exemplo, emprestar pequenas quantias de dinheiro ou anular dívidas para ajudar os mais pobres são medidas tidas como benéficas, e ambas as abordagens parecem inteiramente sensatas. No entanto, um escrutínio mais tento revela que essas políticas bem-intencionadas estão equivocadas.

Hace 46 años, el profesor Jørgen Randers fue coautor de “Limits to Growth”, y asustó a una generación haciéndole creer el mito de que el planeta estaba a punto de quedarse sin recursos.

A pesar de haber sido totalmente derrotado, el pronóstico del profesor Randers sigue siendo igual de sombrío, pero ahora lo que teme no es la contaminación, sino el cambio climático. Sostiene que “la democracia debe ser suspendida para resolver la crisis climática” y que solo una dictadura introducirá lo que cree que son las políticas correctas y costosas.

For the well-off in both rich and poor countries around the world, lives are enriched by plentiful access to energy that provides light, fresh food, and clean water, and that powers technology and allows the ability to control the temperature.

Early childhood programmes have long been shown to create improvements that last a lifetime. Whether by instilling good habits or by encouraging a passion for learning, early exposure to learning cuts drop-out rates in later schooling, and generates measurable improvements to the productivity and income of adults.