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No, every analysis shows that dealing with the problem front and center will require huge amounts of resources and labour. That's not the same thing as benefiti
by makomk 7y ago
No, every analysis shows that dealing with the problem front and center will require huge amounts of resources and labour. That's not the same thing as benefiting the economy.
There's a well-known problem in economics known as the broken window fallacy. Suppose someone wakes up and notices their window has been smashed. They have to get a glazier in to replace it. Even though this helps to employ someone and causes economic activity, it makes no sense to argue that breaking windows helps the economy - that person has had to spend money to get back to where they would be if their window hadn't been broken that could otherwise be put to use actually improving their life.
Much like the broken window fallacy, aggressive climate change action involves throwing vast amounts of resources at hopefully getting to the the same point we're already at and providing things we already have, but hopefully with less CO2 emissions. Those resources then cannot be used for other things. Economically speaking, this makes everyone worse off in order to reduce CO2. There's not really any way around that. The press like to spin all the green jobs action against climate change will create as proof it will benefit the economy, but that's just not how things work.
- TheCapeGreek 7y agoThe window is already broken. Do we leave it and die from exposure to the elements because it costs money and effort to fix, or do we bite the bullet and fix it with something stronger and sustainable?
- makomk 7y agoYou seem to be arguing that fighting climate change is so vital that it's worth the economic cost. That's certainly a valid argument, but it's not the one that was being made - that argument was that rather than having an economic cost, it actually has an economic benefit.
- ncmncm 7y agoWe must not be reading the same analyses. The ones I see very plausibly show reliable profits, an invigorated domestic job market, and massive savings on costs as diverse as energy, medical treatment, and criminal incarceration. The fossil fuel economy is a huge drain on any country dependent on it. Getting off it is hard but a big win. That is without counting the huge cost savings in not needing to try to counter effects of global climate disruption, which absolutely dwarf the cost of switching.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]