On 19^th June, the Financial Times published an article by Phillip Stephens entitled “Saving the planet will be difficult, but do not despair”. See: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/65b790f0-3e12-11dd-b16d-0000779fd2ac.html

Essentially, he’s worried that “denial” of man-made global warming is still a problem despite the “overwhelming weight of scientific knowledge” that, unless mankind’s emissions of CO₂ are curtailed, we face dire consequences. He claims that opinion polls show that, although respondents in most countries think global warming is “a very serious problem”, that’s not true of the “two worst polluters” – the USA and China. He comments that emission control is no longer “cool” – the world now faces other short-term priorities. He notes how China and India have increasingly voracious appetites for fossil fuels. Hence the “despair” of the title. This, he says, is exacerbated by the problem of getting all nations to move to low-carbon economies – perhaps it’s just too difficult?

Stephens rejects despair. Instead, he supports the economist Nicholas Stern’s proposal that “market mechanisms, technological advances and behavioural changes” be used to share “the burden of adjustment” between rich and emerging nations. That would mean ceilings on emissions by the developed economies that “bite immediately” and a “new international trading system” imposing “binding” targets on developing countries after 2020.

I agree that despair is unnecessary. But there is so much that is unpleasant, misleading and wrong in Stephens’s analysis that that truth could be overlooked. Some examples: Continue reading »