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Stern and Gurria: We can avoid climate change, and boost the world’s economy – if we act now
(guardian---commentary_blog, 16 Sep 2014) Reversing the damage is within our grasp, but it will hinge on a strong international climate agreement and policies that make polluters pay.
The global economy is undergoing a remarkable transformation which is altering our ability to deal with climate change. The growth of emerging economies, rapid urbanisation and new technological advances are making possible a new path of low-carbon growth in ways that were not apparent even five years ago.
We know that if left unchecked, greenhouse gas emissions will cause devastating climate change. What is now becoming clear is that reducing emissions is not only compatible with economic growth and development; if done well, it can actually generate better growth than the old high-carbon model.
Take cities. The evidence – from Bogota to Barcelona, Curitiba to Copenhagen – shows that better planned cities based on mass public transport systems tend to be economically more dynamic and have much higher quality of life than those based on urban sprawl. They also have much lower carbon emissions. As a billion more people join the world’s urban population over the next 15 years, building smarter cities creates a huge opportunity to reduce the path of emissions at the same time as improving economic performance and social conditions.
guardian---commentary_blog, 16 Sep 2014: Stern and Gurria: We can avoid climate change, and boost the world’s economy – if we act now
