Make climate change an economic - not green - issue, urges ex-president of Maldives

(Eco Business, 18 Apr 2017) The world needs to package the benefits of a low-carbon transition in a way “political parties can embrace”, says Mohamed Nasheed.

Winning effective action on climate change will require treating the problem less as an environmental or human rights crisis and more as a sensible economic shift, the former Maldives president said Thursday.

“While it remains an ethical or human rights issue, it’s not so easy to have it in your political manifesto,” Mohamed Nasheed said, pointing to climate change’s political divisiveness in the United States.

But any politician, he said, can win votes by promising more jobs and a stronger economy – something eminently achievable if the world transitions to cleaner and more sustainable energy, a move that also would bring environmental and social benefits.

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Eco Business, 18 Apr 2017: Make climate change an economic - not green - issue, urges ex-president of Maldives