Cato educates policymakers on global warming
May 7th, 2007 by Brendan SteinhauserToday I attended the Cato Institute’s event on Capitol Hill with scholars Jerry Taylor and Patrick Micheals. They provided a persuasive case that the jury is still out on the role man plays regarding climate change. The audio of the event will be online in the next day or so by clicking here.
Michaels is an environmental science professor at The University of Virginia. He is also a member of the United Nations International Panel on Climate Change. Michaels pointed out that the warming trend of the last century has actually been quite constant, and not “increasing rapidly” as Al Gore would have us believe. He also argued that the Kyoto Protocol would have little to no effect on global temperatures.
Jerry Taylor argued that even if man made global warming were proven to be happening, it would not be detrimental to our economy. In fact, some economists argue that it could actually improve the overall economy. He cited the economic literature but cautioned against believing that consensus always provides the truest answers.
The economic costs of imposing a cap and trade system or a carbon tax are quite high given the fact that these restrictions would do nothing to actually “save the environment.” This is in part because China will become the largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world in the next couple of decades. You can find more great information on the climate change alarmism pervading the public discourse here, here and here.
