Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Affordable Environmentalism


The OECD isn't some raving, left-wing outfit. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is the club for the wealthiest nations on the planet. That's why, when the OECD calls for urgent action to counter global warming, pollution and other environmental hazards, even you deniers ought to take time to listen.

Here's something else in the OECD's latest report - all these remedial measures are - wait for it - AFFORDABLE! You're not going to have to wind up living in a cave. From Reuters:

"Climate change is mankind's most important long-term challenge," OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria told Reuters after issuing a 520-page Environmental Outlook in Oslo.

The 30-nation OECD said possible environmental safeguards might slow world growth by just 0.03 percent a year -- meaning that by 2030 the global economy would be 97 percent bigger than in 2005 instead of almost 99 percent larger with no measures."

"Solutions are available, they are achievable and they are affordable," Gurria told a news conference. "The consequences and costs of inaction ... would be much higher."

"If we want to avoid irreversible damage to our environment ... we'd better start working right away," he said.


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