Energy

The new United Nations report is being talked about as though it portends the end of the world: To avoid catastrophe, we must instantly transform the entire economy no matter the costs.

This is unjustified. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in its latest major global analysis, estimated that the total impact of unmitigated climate change from extreme weather, changes in agriculture, rising sea levels and so on would be equivalent to reducing the average person’s income by between 0.2 and 2 percent in the 2070s.

The global economy must be transformed immediately to avoid catastrophic climate damage, a new United Nations report declares. Climate economist William Nordhaus has been made a Nobel laureate. The events are being reported as two parts of the same story, but they reveal the contradictions inherent in climate policy—and why economics matters more than ever.

Cuando una “solución” a un problema causa más daño que el problema, el diseño de políticas ha fallado. Este es el lugar en el que nos encontramos a menudo respecto al calentamiento global.

Mens politikere elsker retorik om at redde planeten, er der meget få, der er villige til rent faktisk at implementere politikker, der ville resultere i meningsfulde temperatursænkninger. Hvorfor? Fordi omkostningerne ved dette er høje, og fordelene er meget små

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.

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.

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.

Access to electricity is critical for a modern economy, and a key driver of social and economic development. Lighting, health, education, productivity, labour participation, enterprise development and income generation, all improve when households are provided with access. In India, rural areas had electrification rates of 74% compared to 97% in urban areas in 2016.

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.

"Tænk, hvis man endte med ikke at sætte et barn i verden, fordi man var sikker på, at det hele ville ende rigtig grimt – når sandheden er, at det højst bliver en lille smule værre i en i øvrigt meget, meget bedre verden”