Adaptation plays a critical role in any realistic and honest climate plan, writes Philip Cross in the Financial Post. Below is an excerpt from the article which can be read in full here.
By Philip Cross, September 24, 2020
With so much talk about green energy in the run-up to this week’s speech from the throne, it is timely to summarize Bjorn Lomborg’s sensible perspective on climate change policies, as detailed in his latest book, “False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts The Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet.”
Lomborg’s main conclusion is that climate change is real, but unjustified alarmism and outright panic have led to costly and ineffective policies. He estimates that striving to achieve the Paris Agreement climate goals will cost up to $2 trillion a year, yet do little to slow climate change.
None of the major signatories to the Paris Agreement are on track to reach their goals, with less-developed countries such as China and India showing little interest in slowing the rise of their people out of poverty. The lure of higher incomes that create better, safer, more secure and longer lives will only increase after this year’s pandemic hammered both the health and incomes of poorer countries. Canada by itself cannot affect the climate without the active participation of all the world’s largest economies.
