NYU Professor Gernot Wagner on COVID-19 and Climate Change
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NYU Professor of climate economics Gernot Wagner published an opinion piece in Project Syndicate on bringing the lessons learned from COVID-19 on compound growth and managing risk to the conversation on climate change.
Excerpt: "These public-health “breaking points” are to the COVID-19 pandemic what “tipping points” are to climate change. Where and when they will be reached might be uncertain; but they are all too real. Likewise, in both cases (and in most countries), it is already too late for containment. The priority now is mitigation, closely followed by adaptation to what’s already in store. In confronting COVID-19, the goal is to “flatten the curve,” just as we must “bend” the curve in greenhouse-gas emissions. Small, immediate reductions in the growth rate will increasingly pay off over time."
Read the full piece on Project Syndicate.
Excerpt: "These public-health “breaking points” are to the COVID-19 pandemic what “tipping points” are to climate change. Where and when they will be reached might be uncertain; but they are all too real. Likewise, in both cases (and in most countries), it is already too late for containment. The priority now is mitigation, closely followed by adaptation to what’s already in store. In confronting COVID-19, the goal is to “flatten the curve,” just as we must “bend” the curve in greenhouse-gas emissions. Small, immediate reductions in the growth rate will increasingly pay off over time."
Read the full piece on Project Syndicate.