A Stitch in Time

The Guardian has a story today of a new climate change report that indicates that the developed countries will face far higher costs if they do not act to mitigate the problem now.

Here is the story.

Study warns of stark costs
of failing to counter climate change
Patrick Wintour, political editor
Wednesday October 4, 2006
The Guardian

Gordon Brown is about to publish a ground-breaking study which will warn the world that it faces paying multi-trillion pound economic costs if it does not move urgently to act on climate change.

The study, led by Sir Nicholas Stern, a former World Bank economist, is a stark warning to world leaders, especially George Bush, that the climate change issue cannot be stalled by claiming economic competitiveness will be damaged by taking action now.

The report, regarded by experts as the most authoritative assessment yet of the costs of climate change, will argue that the developed economies, led by the US, face far higher costs if they do not act.

Sir Nicholas gave a private briefing on his review to a meeting of leaders of the world's 20 most polluting nations in Mexico yesterday. The report is said to be framed so that the Bush administration recognises it will not cost the earth to solve climate change, but will cost the earth literally and financially if it does not.

Speaking on the opening day of the conference Margaret Beckett, the foreign secretary, said: "It is sound economic sense to respond to climate change and economic nonsense not to."

(snip)

The report spells out the extra costs of dealing with longer and stronger heatwaves, droughts, rainfall and floods that are already being observed and are expected to become more extreme.

Other economic costs include greater harvest losses, a rise in the spread of tropical diseases, greater soil erosion and less certainty in energy supplies.

(snip)

The presentation comes days after PricewaterhouseCoopers issued a report stating that it will cost $1 trillion to curb emissions of climate-warming gases over the next generation. The Stern review is regarded as a much more rigorous piece of work.

The report is seen as vital ammunition for Tony Blair and Mr Brown as they argue that world leaders need to agree the elements of a future framework before the current Kyoto agreement on carbon emissions expires in 2012.

Mr Bush and the US Senate refused to sign up to Kyoto, arguing the US could not afford to do so if the big emerging economies, notably China and India, were not part of the process.

(snip)

In a symbol of his frustration with Mr Bush, Mr Blair last week joined California's governor Arnold Schwarznegger by satellite at the signing of the state's climate law setting rigorous targets." (more)

I doubt if much of this story makes it into any of our MSM.

We have pedaphiles in government you know.

And the "world will end" if we don't find someone to blame for it.

Most recent blame?

The Page System itself.

Meanwhile the rest of the World is dealing with the real issues.

Benjamin Franklin would have a saying or two for this.

"By failing to prepare,
you are preparing to fail. "

And,

"A stitch in time,,,,, saves nine."

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