Economics and the Challenge of Global Warming.pdf

Economics and the Challenge of Global Warming



English | 2011 | ISBN: 1107649072, 1107011515 | 248 pages | PDF | 1,49 Mb

Economics and the Challenge of Global Warming is a balanced, rigorous, and comprehensive analysis of the role of economics in confronting global warming, the central environmental issue of the twenty-first century. It avoids a technical exposition in order to reach a wide audience and is up to date in its theoretical and empirical underpinnings. It is addressed to all who have some knowledge of economic concepts and a serious interest in how economics can (and cannot) help in crafting climate policy. The book is organized around three central questions. First, can benefit-cost analysis guide us in setting warming targets? Second, what strategies and policies are cost-effective?
Third, and most difficult, can a global agreement be forged between rich and poor, North and South? While economic concepts are foremost in the analysis, they are placed within an accessible ethical and political matrix. The book serves as a primer for the post-Kyoto era.
"The economics of climate change is as complex as it is vital. To understand it, you can read dozens of journal articles and try to make sense of it on your own - or you can read Charles Pearson's brilliant synthesis and interpretation. I strongly recommend that you start with this wonderful new book." - Scott Barrett, Columbia University
"Charles Pearson's work always sheds light, rather than heat, on complex policy questions. This book is no exception. With his clear and winsome nontechnical approach, Pearson unravels the latest economic research on climate change. Within the context of scientific research and political feasibility, he shows how economics contributes to the development of effective, efficient, and internationally equitable responses to this difficult environmental problem." - Judith M. Dean, Brandeis University