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Climate Future: Averting and Adapting to Climate Change
Most people would probably agree on what should be done to avert severe climate change: The world must reduce CO2 emissions as much and as quickly as possible. But we must also ask what will be done. Is it realistic to expect worldwide emissions to fall rapidly enough to prevent severe climate change? And if we conclude it is not realistic, and so higher temperatures and rising sea levels are likely, what should we do? What actions should we take now to reduce the likely impact of climate change?
Whatever climate policies are adopted, there will be a great deal of uncertainty over what will happen as a result. In Climate Future, Robert Pindyck, an authority on the economics of climate change and global catastrophes, explains what we know and what we don't know about the extent of climate change and its impact, why there is so much uncertainty, and what it means for climate policy. This book shows that given the economic and political realities, it is simply not realistic to expect emission reductions needed to avert substantial global warming. Pindyck argues that investments in adaptation-developing new hybrid crops, discouraging building in flood-prone or wildfire-prone areas, building sea walls and dikes, and geoengineering-are needed to insure against catastrophic climate change events. We should invest now in adaptation, and Pindyck shows how that can be done.
Whatever climate policies are adopted, there will be a great deal of uncertainty over what will happen as a result. In Climate Future, Robert Pindyck, an authority on the economics of climate change and global catastrophes, explains what we know and what we don't know about the extent of climate change and its impact, why there is so much uncertainty, and what it means for climate policy. This book shows that given the economic and political realities, it is simply not realistic to expect emission reductions needed to avert substantial global warming. Pindyck argues that investments in adaptation-developing new hybrid crops, discouraging building in flood-prone or wildfire-prone areas, building sea walls and dikes, and geoengineering-are needed to insure against catastrophic climate change events. We should invest now in adaptation, and Pindyck shows how that can be done.
- GenresNonfictionEconomics
Unknown Binding
First published June 13, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 26, 2024
Things don't look very promising. There's a high chance... a possibility...
At the moment scientists go by the worst/best case scenario. But when the best case is about a moderate temperature rise that might cause a moderate disaster then you can rest assured... we are doomed.
This is a very moderate, honest, based on scientific findings book, providing an abundance of bibliography. That's why I find it extremely scary. Are we living on borrowed time? Probably yes. Will the future generations suffer because of our negligence? Probably yes? Can we prevent the worst? Barely.
Do I feel guilty? Yes but it's worse than that. I feel useless and deprived of any hope. Powerless.
How much more climate change should we expect in the future, and how soon will it occur? We don’t know. It depends in part on the climate system, which we don’t fully understand. And of course it depends on the world’s GHG emissions over the coming decades.
What are the costs of climate change? Higher temperatures and more extreme weather can reduce agricultural output, cause property damage and perhaps loss of life from storms, flooding, and fires, and reduce overall productivity in a variety of ways. As a general matter, climate change can reduce the level and rate of growth of economic output, and thus lower our standard of living. Because many harmful microbes and parasites thrive in warmer weather, and because very high temperatures can themselves be detrimental to health, it may also result in greater morbidity and mortality. And if it turns out to be severe, climate change could lead to social unrest and possibly even political upheaval..
That's so unbearably painful. Not the worst case scenario but the inescapable and the inevitable of it all. The lack of viable solutions.
Given any realistic scenario for worldwide GHG emissions over the coming decades (and even some unrealistic scenarios), climate change is likely to be inevitable. Yes, we should try hard to reduce emissions, and it is likely that many countries will indeed adopt policies that will lead to significant reductions in emissions. But it won’t be enough.
unfortunately carbon removal and sequestration on any large scale has a big problem: We don’t know how to do it, at least not at anything approaching a reasonable cost. We simply lack the required technology. .
When I have thoughts as such but I also have to attend our weekly corporate meeting on raising profitability I feel trapped inside a deplorable reality- surreal and grotesque-but I keep on living... what should I do? Recycle more? I don't have a car. I don't travel. Should I stop breathing altogether? Would that fix things? I don't think so.
The thought of an impeding disaster that is already taking place and is irreversible is not a very productive thought. I need hope. But how can I remain hopeful against all odds? The author suggests adaptability.
Adaptation includes everything from the development of new heat-resistant crops to the construction of sea walls to the use of solar geoengineering. Yes, geoengineering, the very thought of which drives some environmentalists crazy..
What scares me the most is another adaptability scenario not mentioned in the book. A scenario that will turn the biggest percentage of the world's population into climate change victims. Because there's no border to stop this kind of disaster from entering your homeland. Maybe a smaller percentage might afford to adapt, even thrive...but what about the rest?
Can I have some hope please? Or maybe I should accept the inevitable and go about my day.
At the moment scientists go by the worst/best case scenario. But when the best case is about a moderate temperature rise that might cause a moderate disaster then you can rest assured... we are doomed.
This is a very moderate, honest, based on scientific findings book, providing an abundance of bibliography. That's why I find it extremely scary. Are we living on borrowed time? Probably yes. Will the future generations suffer because of our negligence? Probably yes? Can we prevent the worst? Barely.
Do I feel guilty? Yes but it's worse than that. I feel useless and deprived of any hope. Powerless.
How much more climate change should we expect in the future, and how soon will it occur? We don’t know. It depends in part on the climate system, which we don’t fully understand. And of course it depends on the world’s GHG emissions over the coming decades.
What are the costs of climate change? Higher temperatures and more extreme weather can reduce agricultural output, cause property damage and perhaps loss of life from storms, flooding, and fires, and reduce overall productivity in a variety of ways. As a general matter, climate change can reduce the level and rate of growth of economic output, and thus lower our standard of living. Because many harmful microbes and parasites thrive in warmer weather, and because very high temperatures can themselves be detrimental to health, it may also result in greater morbidity and mortality. And if it turns out to be severe, climate change could lead to social unrest and possibly even political upheaval..
That's so unbearably painful. Not the worst case scenario but the inescapable and the inevitable of it all. The lack of viable solutions.
Given any realistic scenario for worldwide GHG emissions over the coming decades (and even some unrealistic scenarios), climate change is likely to be inevitable. Yes, we should try hard to reduce emissions, and it is likely that many countries will indeed adopt policies that will lead to significant reductions in emissions. But it won’t be enough.
unfortunately carbon removal and sequestration on any large scale has a big problem: We don’t know how to do it, at least not at anything approaching a reasonable cost. We simply lack the required technology. .
When I have thoughts as such but I also have to attend our weekly corporate meeting on raising profitability I feel trapped inside a deplorable reality- surreal and grotesque-but I keep on living... what should I do? Recycle more? I don't have a car. I don't travel. Should I stop breathing altogether? Would that fix things? I don't think so.
The thought of an impeding disaster that is already taking place and is irreversible is not a very productive thought. I need hope. But how can I remain hopeful against all odds? The author suggests adaptability.
Adaptation includes everything from the development of new heat-resistant crops to the construction of sea walls to the use of solar geoengineering. Yes, geoengineering, the very thought of which drives some environmentalists crazy..
What scares me the most is another adaptability scenario not mentioned in the book. A scenario that will turn the biggest percentage of the world's population into climate change victims. Because there's no border to stop this kind of disaster from entering your homeland. Maybe a smaller percentage might afford to adapt, even thrive...but what about the rest?
Can I have some hope please? Or maybe I should accept the inevitable and go about my day.
October 6, 2022
Climate Future is a comprehensive book looking at climate change from a wide variety of angles. Professor Pindyck is an economist first and foremost, so he uses models throughout the book and even includes mathematical formulas. It's a very technical book. Yet, it's still very readable. I didn't look too deeply into the math often times, but I found his general points clear, surprisingly clear, which is very difficult to do for such a technical subject.
Pindyck starts out by explaining generally how climate change happens and how greenhouse gas emissions contribute to the problem. Then he goes over how much we can expect emissions to be reduced and how much warming there can be. There's a lot of uncertainty. We truly don't know what will happen. He goes over the costs of changing our behaviors and what we might be able to expect you happen and gives solutions (primarily a carbon tax, cap and trade, and adaptation, especially solar geoengineering).
This book is an exercise in how to deal with uncertainty, something we don't get exposed to enough when talking about complicated problems (especially in today's modern clickbait media). I learned a lot from it and found a lot more to be interested in. My only real complaint is that there weren't enough suggestions for citizens to do to help. Any one individual may not achieve much, but I think people attempting to make some change on their own can be a great way to show how important the issue is to us and may drive politicians to enact policy changes like we see in this book.
Pindyck starts out by explaining generally how climate change happens and how greenhouse gas emissions contribute to the problem. Then he goes over how much we can expect emissions to be reduced and how much warming there can be. There's a lot of uncertainty. We truly don't know what will happen. He goes over the costs of changing our behaviors and what we might be able to expect you happen and gives solutions (primarily a carbon tax, cap and trade, and adaptation, especially solar geoengineering).
This book is an exercise in how to deal with uncertainty, something we don't get exposed to enough when talking about complicated problems (especially in today's modern clickbait media). I learned a lot from it and found a lot more to be interested in. My only real complaint is that there weren't enough suggestions for citizens to do to help. Any one individual may not achieve much, but I think people attempting to make some change on their own can be a great way to show how important the issue is to us and may drive politicians to enact policy changes like we see in this book.
August 11, 2023
The most realistic and down to earth climate take I’ve read. We must reduce emissions as fast as possible while preparing for the worst. It’s so likely the earth would warm more than 2 degrees that not pursuing adaptation while not reducing emissions is insane. And no, this is not a reason to despair or conclude climate apocalypse
January 21, 2022
Un buen ensayo, introductorio, sobre las incertidumbres existentes en relación al cambio climático y sus impactos, así sobre la necesidad y las posibilidades de mitigación y adaptación.
September 6, 2022
You can check out my review here:
https://youtu.be/38N3LSAgrhw
https://youtu.be/38N3LSAgrhw
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews