Resolving the Climate Change Crisis The Ecological Economics of Clim
This book explains why the climate change crisis is a symptom of a much larger underlying problem – namely, humankind’s predilection with continuous GDP-growth. Given this starting point, the world’s high-income nations must begin the transition to a qual
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Resolving the Climate Change Crisis The Ecological Economics of Climate Change
Resolving the Climate Change Crisis
Philip Lawn
Resolving the Climate Change Crisis The Ecological Economics of Climate Change
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Philip Lawn Flinders Business School Flinders University Adelaide Australia
ISBN 978-94-017-7501-4 ISBN 978-94-017-7502-1 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-7502-1 Library of Congress Control Number: 2015956131 © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by SpringerNature The registered company is Springer Science+Business Media B.V. Dordrecht
To my dad Graham Charles Lawn (20 March 1938–1 September 2010)
Preface
Many people regard climate change as an impending problem. I do not. Given the need to take immediate and drastic action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the threat posed by climate change has already reached a crisis point. However, a successful resolution to the crisis will require more than an effective emissions protocol. Unless the world’s high-income nations begin the transition to a qualitatively improving steady-state economy, and low-income nations follow suit at some stage over the next 20–40 years, trying to avoid catastrophic climate change will be akin to putting a square peg in a round hole. To put it another way, if the world continues its predilection with continuous GDP growth, a well-designed emissions protocol will be as useless as the paper it is written on. This book sets out why we must abandon the goal of continuous growth; how we can do so in a way that improves human well-being; what constitutes a safe atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases; and what type of emissions protocol and emissions-trading framework is likely to achieve a desirable climate change outcome as well as promote the broader goal of sustainable development. During the preparation of this book, a number of crucial United Nations climate
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