The debate is heating up, and yet Australia’s political leaders seem to be missing the real cost of climate change – a former Goldman Sachs heavyweight sheds insight into which parts of the economy will be hit by inaction the hardest.
Where do our major parties really stand?
The political world has become a bit topsy turvy lately. Countries like Canada, previously respected for their environmental leadership, have become international pariahs for promoting exploitation of their tar sands deposits.
And in Australia, as more than one commentator has observed, it’s become impossible to tell up from down as politicians backflip on major reforms.
The Liberals are dumping a free market solution for greenhouse emissions reduction (the carbon tax was legislated to transition to an Emissions Trading Scheme after the initial fixed price period); Labour is opposing a big government solution (the Coalition’s Direct Action scheme); and ironically the Greens are against a rise in the fuel excise tax (which might have sent a pricing signal discouraging the use of high emitting private vehicles).
What’s the cost of discord?
Just as Australia winds back its carbon scheme, a chorus of influential conservatives is dispelling arguments that reducing greenhouse emissions is taxing on the economy.
Hank Paulsen is a commentator to watch. He served as the US Treasury Secretary during the Bush administration and before that, was the head of one of the world’s most successful investment banks – Goldman Sachs. Having recently published a call to action on climate change in the New York Times, he’s teamed up with Republican former mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg and others to produce a report called Risky Business.
Risky Business focuses on the economic impacts of climate change in the US over the remainder of the century and identifies the worrying financial impacts of sticking to a business as usual scenario.
Here’s a quick summary of the Risky Business forecast:
- Property damage from coastal inundation in the hundreds of billions of dollars
- Decreased labour productivity for outdoor work due to the rise in extremely hot and/or humid days
- Ballooning energy costs (partly due to soaring demand for air conditioning)
- Stretched healthcare systems
- Increased heat-related mortality
- Reduced agricultural productivity
Acting now may leave Australia in a better financial position
In fact, not only does a business as usual scenario turn out to have significant costs; a new economic study commissioned by the United Nations has found that a high emissions reduction scenario could transform major economies to zero net greenhouse emissions as soon as 2050 while still maintaining comfortable rates of growth. Australian National University economist Dr Frank Jotzo, a lead author of the forthcoming report, has noted (Sydney Morning Herald 9/7/14) findings that an annual Australian GDP growth rate of around 2.4% could be maintained while making massive emissions reductions to energy, agriculture and other sectors.
And this is where the rhetoric about the economy paying the price of slashing carbon emissions starts to sound more than a little hollow.
Of course studies and predictions come and go and political will is a huge obstacle to be overcome in many countries. However, with notable conservatives questioning the viability of business as usual and growing evidence that the move to a low emissions scenario may not be as economically difficult as it has been portrayed, the mood is beginning to shift.
This shift presents both risks and opportunities for many organisations. To find out how, talk to Adaptive Capability about safe guarding your organisation’s future.
