1.5 Degrees, Climate Change and Health
Another look at the recent IPCC Report. And do we really need a Carbon Tax? The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a new report on the impacts of global warming. This report, Global Warming of 1.5oC, contains dire predictions of drought, disease, famine and death resulting from greenhouse gas emissions and demands “unprecedented changes” in society to limit future temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius. These predictions do not reflect the likeliest outcome of a warmer climate. In August, the CO2 Coalition published a white paper, Climate Change and Health, which examines the link between a warmer climate, wealth and health. The study analyzes the decline of diseases such as malaria, West Nile virus and Lyme disease; the steady rate of extreme weather events such as floods and cyclones; the improvement of nutrition due to increased crop yields; and the strong connection between prosperity and energy use. This white paper summarizes the views of the CO2 Coalition, an independent non-profit organization that seeks to engage thought leaders, policy makers, and the public in an informed, dispassionate discussion of how our planet will be affected by carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. In our three previous white papers, Carbon Dioxide Benefits the World; See for Yourself, A Primer on Carbon Dioxide and Climate and Does the World Need Climate Insurance? The Best Scientific and Economic Evidence Says NO, the Coalition argued that additional CO2 emissions will be a net benefit, rather than a problem, for the world. These analyses explored the science behind the interaction between CO2 and climate and refuted the idea that buying “climate insurance” would improve our safety and well-being. Click this link for a PDF of Climate Change and Health Just as the Coalition has urged in all its work, read the assessment here and “see for yourself” what path you prefer.]]>