I am starting to warm to Red Ed. His freeze on energy bills rules out any carbon tax was he cannot introduce a carbon tax while freezing energy bills.
Red Ed has given up on fighting climate change and introducing a carbon tax
11 Mar 2015 Leave a comment
in energy economics, environmental economics, global warming, public economics Tags: carbon tax, climate alarmism, expressive voting, left-wing popularism, rational ignorance, rational irrationality, UK politics
Environmental and Urban Economics: The Drought Causes War Hypothesis: Evidence from Syria
09 Mar 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, environmental economics, global warming, politics - USA, war and peace Tags: Syria, water markets
I am an economist so permit me to make one Econ 101 point.
As drought conditions unfolded in Syria, did water prices rise? Is water metered and paid for in Syria? Â How do farmers and residential water customers access water?
If there had been  a market signal of increased scarcity, water prices would have gone up and rational households and firms would reduce their consumption.
In the presence of such well functioning water markets, no “excess conflict” would have resulted. Â Capitalist markets thus can diffuse violence as increasingly scarce resources are allocated efficiently and water consumers are incentivized to invest in strategies and actions to reduce their water demand.
So, to repeat my point; if the PNAS authors are correct then it is the synergistic effect between increased drought conditions and the absence of water markets that caused the problem.  If the nation had well functioning water markets, then I would strongly predict that there would be no extra violence.
via Environmental and Urban Economics: The Drought Causes War Hypothesis: Evidence from Syria.
Follow the money – The Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2014 CPI Report Climate Policy Initiative
09 Mar 2015 Leave a comment
in environmental economics, global warming, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: bootleggers and baptists, climate alarmism, global warming, green rent seeking
In 2013, annual global climate finance flows totalled approximately USD 331 billion, falling USD 28 billion below 2012 levels.
Public actors and intermediaries contributed USD 137 billion (USD 134-140 billion) largely unchanged from last year. Private investment totalled USD 193 billion, falling by USD 31 billion or 14% from 2012, see Figure ES1. The actual decrease in total flows may be even larger as, for the first time, Landscape 2014 captures public finance flowing to large hydro and research and development (USD 4 billion and USD 3 billion respectively).
Climate finance flows were split almost equally between developed (OECD) and developing (non-OECD) countries, USD 164 billion and USD 165 billion respectively. The amount we tracked flowing from developed to developing countries fell by USD 8 billion from 2012, to USD 34 billion, with multilateral DFI contributions falling by USD 5 billion and private investment contracting by USD 2 billion.
Almost three-quarters of total flows were invested in their country of origin. Private actors had an especially strong domestic investment focus with USD 174 billion or 90% of their investments remaining in the country of origin. This demonstrates that investment environments that are more familiar and perceived to be less risky are key to investment decisions, highlighting the importance of domestic policy frameworks in unlocking scaled up climate finance flows.
Global warming ruined the world 15 years ago, apparently
06 Mar 2015 Leave a comment
in environmental economics, global warming Tags: climate alarmism, doomsday predictions, false prophets, global warming
The bandwagon effect
06 Mar 2015 Leave a comment
in economics of media and culture, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming Tags: climate alarmism, conjecture and refutation, philosophy of science
What are the incentives to sign a global climate change treaty? Who must sign up to real commitments?
05 Mar 2015 1 Comment
in environmental economics, global warming, international economic law Tags: change treaty, climate alarmism, global climate, global warming, international public goods
But the glaziers are melting
05 Mar 2015 Leave a comment
in economics of media and culture, environmental economics, global warming, politics - USA Tags: Antarctic ice, Artric, climate alarmism
Obama’s climate deal with China is a solar and wind energy fantasy
03 Mar 2015 Leave a comment
in energy economics, entrepreneurship, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming Tags: carbon neutral economy, China, climate alarmism, global warming, solar energy
David Friedman on global warming, population and problems with the externality argument
02 Mar 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, David Friedman, economic history, economics of information, economics of regulation, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, law and economics, population economics, property rights Tags: climate alarmism, competition as a discovery procedure, David Friedman, externalities, global warming, population bomb, The fatal conceit, The pretence to knowledge
Will Japan sign on to a tough global climate treaty?
01 Mar 2015 Leave a comment
in energy economics, environmental economics, global warming Tags: climate alarmism, global climate treaty, global warming, international public goods, Japan
Fossil fuels will continue to provide most of the world’s energy, supplying 81% of global supply in 2035
01 Mar 2015 Leave a comment
in energy economics, environmental economics, global warming Tags: climate alarmism, Fossil Fuels, global warming
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