How Much Do We Care About the Costs of Climate Change?
Here’s a scholarly article published a few days ago in Science Magazine on the cost of climate change, whose authors, from the Stanford School of Public Policy and the Nicholas Institute at Duke University, have taken into account a great number of different variables and built complex modeling tools to assess their impact on our civilization.
I view this with a mixture of keen interest and profound frustration, in that, astonishingly, none of this matters greatly. We all know that the costs of climate change are huge, that they’re growing every year, that dealing with them now would save a fortune later on, and that untold levels of human suffering hangs in the balance. Considering our civilization (at least our country) is unwilling to take the subject seriously, cynics might refer to all this as mental masturbation.
Craig,
I’m always interested in why you’re so surprised when the general public behave differently than you believe they should.
I can only surmise you base your expectations on information from a narrow media base, while listening to fellow travelers.
When responding to pollsters, the public say often say what they think is politically correct or what will gain the pollsters approval. Just as Late Show audience members cheer Stephen Colbert’s observations, even though many secretly don’t agree.
The real test of public creditably for rising sea levels caused by climate change, is the enthusiasm for ocean front residential properties. All over the Western World residential property located near the ocean commands significant price premiums.
The trend to purchase Islands and homes on Islands is becoming very fashionable.
Likewise, without government incentives, or even with government incentives, the EV market remains minuscule.
Unlike you, I have great respect for the commonsense of the general public. They may be cowed into silence by relentless advocates and alarmists, but it doesn’t mean they acquiesce!
That’s what Hilary Clinton didn’t understand. She and her party took what she believed was bolted on supporters for granted and they taught her the price.
But then, why am I telling you this ? After all you have chosen to live in Santa Barbara, an affluent beach side location :).