A Shift in the Global Warming Debate

The conventional wisdom about climate policy has long been that we need to make dirty energy expensive. Slap on a price for carbon and watch it work its market magic, so the logic goes. But a growing cadre of environmental thinkers is starting to question that policy framework, wondering if direct investment in clean energy might do more to slow global warming.
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"Dangerous Assumptions" (PDF)
The groundbreaking Nature piece that shattered the notion that we already have all the technology we need to deal with climate change. In fact, the UNIPCC may have underestimated the technology challenge by at least half.
- Breakthrough's FAQ
- Physicist Marty Hoffert on the wedges model and the technology challenge

"The End of Carbon Price Orthodoxy"
Lindsay Meisel identifies a slew of thoughtful articles questioning the central role cap-and-trade has played thus far in policy discussions.

"The Global Warming Debate Grows Up"
The climate cold war is finally thawing -- where do we go from here?

Comments

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By teapots on 2008 10 02

"Slap on a price for carbon and watch it work its market magic, so the logic goes."

In the long term, it will, in the short term, it won't. This line of thinking assumes far too much rationality in business and consumer behavior.

In general, if market opportunities were taken moderately efficiently, billionaire entrepreneurs wouldn't exist. Instead, we would see continuous incremental improvements in every industry, and no big groups of underserved or overserved customers, with economic gains spreaded much more evenly.

"wondering if direct investment in clean energy might do more to slow global warming. "

Of course.

If you see a problem, the answer always is to be entrepreneurial. People won't become instantaneously entrepreneurial through incentives. What's more, if you'd make the price of carbon really high, a group of people simply would give up, lay dead, clueless on how to go on, until they're given some workable advice.

By Meryn Stol on 2008 05 09