First, the Stern Report was released in the UK, arguing that ignoring global warming would be much more expensive than doing something about it. And now, Secretary General of the UN Koffi Annan tells us that climate change is an economic issue.
Financial Times:
The threat of climate change has been underestimated and governments must stop looking at the problem as an environmental issue, but see it instead as an economic and social issue, Kofi Annan said on Wednesday at UN talks on the Kyoto protocol.
The UN secretary general told ministers meeting in Nairobi: “Climate change is not just an environmental issue as too many people still believe. It is an all encompassing threat.”
He cited the report by Sir Nicholas Stern, former World Bank economist, on the economic effects of climate change published by the UK government last month, which found that climate change could shrink the global economy by 20 per cent and cause economic and social disruption on a par with two world wars and the great depression.
Mr Annan said the threat was so great that “the message is clear”.
“Global climate change must take its place alongside those threats - conflict, poverty, the proliferation of dirty weapons - that had traditionally monopolised first order political attention”.
I'd feel a lot better about being ahead of the curve if someone in government would actually listen, though.
Tags: news politics international global warming environment financial economy UN
