'via Blog this'
a recent survey of 365 economistswho publish in the field of climate change shows that a majority of them, 59%, think climate change will have a negative impact by 2025
Robert Murphy, whose post I will quote from liberally, doesn't quite get it right. He writes:
As the numbers indicate, 59 percent--a solid majority--thought that climate change would be beneficial for the global economy at least through the year 2025. Moreover, 37 percent of the experts thought that climate change would be beneficial to the global economy until at least the year 2050.
Murphy quotes David Roberts, who's touting this survey as a case for immediate action, as follows:
The median answer here is 2025, which is considerably earlier than many prominent economic models estimate. For instance, Tol's FUND model -- one of the three big models used in the field -- estimates that impacts will not be net negative until 2080.
So why do many of these economists go beyond some "prominent economic models?"
It's because of the weight they think should be given to benefits to future generations versus costs to current generations
Murphy comments:
Although they may have expertise on certain matters of analysis, professional economists have no claim to superior ethical standards than the community at large.
