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Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Climate Change, The Risk Of Catastrophe And How Much "Insurance" Do We Pay


A high price for ignoring the risks of catastrophe. "The financial crisis - and growing scientific evidence that there are small but real risks of extreme climate change - suggest a way forward. Rather than try to price the unknowable with precision, we should consider the uncertain odds but terrifyingly high costs of a catastrophe, then ask what we will pay for insurance against it. That might even be an easier way to sell stalled action on carbon emissions." Robin Harding in The Financial Times.

Can anybody save California? "The mega-drought is pitting farmers against fishermen, north against south and, of course, Democrats against Republicans. But that's frequently the case in California, which has battled for more than a century over how to allocate too little water for too many people. The dry landscape adds another layer of rancor, and with the planet heating up and fueling bigger, longer and more severe droughts, that's likely to be a permanent fixture. How state and federal lawmakers respond to the crisis could offer a window into how the United States writ large will react to climate events in real time--and so far, the politics appear too small for the task." David Dayen in Politico.



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