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World can 'afford' to solve its environmental woes: OECD (We know the enemy. It is called carbon.)
AFP on Yahoo ^ | 3/5/08 | AFP

Posted on 03/05/2008 5:02:23 PM PST by NormsRevenge

OSLO (AFP) - The world could solve many of the major environmental problems it faces at an "affordable" price, the OECD said Wednesday, warning that the cost of doing nothing would be far higher.

In a report presented in Oslo, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development suggested a range of measures to address what it said were the greatest global environmental challenges through 2030: climate change, biodiversity loss, water scarcity and the impact on human health of pollution and toxic chemicals.

"It's not cheap. It is affordable, but also it is considerably less onerous for mankind and for the economy than the alternative of inaction," OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria told reporters.

The suggested measures would cost just over 1.0 percent of the predicted global gross domestic product in 2030, meaning world wealth would grow on average 0.03 percentage points less per year over the next 22 years, the organisation said.

If nothing is done however, global greenhouse gas emissions could rise by over 50 percent by 2050, while "one billion more people will be living in areas of severe water stress by 2030 than today, and premature deaths caused by ground-level ozone worldwide would quadruple by 2030," the OECD report said.

"It has a positive cost-benefit result. Regardless of the ethical, of the moral, of the social, of the political consequences, simply looking at it from the business and the economic point of view, it is a better idea to start right away focusing on the environment," Gurria insisted.

The OECD said its proposed investment would allow the world to slash "key air pollutants by about a third," and significantly limit greenhouse gas emissions.

The group placed a special emphasis on the need to rein in carbon dioxide emissions through special taxes and increased emission trading.

"We know the enemy. It is called carbon. We have to fight the enemy and we have to put a high price on the carbon," Gurria said.

The OECD also suggested measures like increasing waste charges and implementing "more stringent regulations and standards" in the most environmentally harmful industries, like energy, transport, agriculture and fishery.

The organisation also insisted on the importance of international coordination and cooperation.

"If we do not have everybody, and that includes every single developed country but also Brazil, China, India, South Africa, Indonesia etc, it will obviously not work," Gurria said.

By 2030, Brazil, Russia, India and China's combined annual emissions "will exceed those of the 30 OECD countries combined," the group said.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: agw; emissions; environmental; globalwarming; oecd; woes; world

1 posted on 03/05/2008 5:02:23 PM PST by NormsRevenge
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To: xcamel; steelyourfaith

GW ping


2 posted on 03/05/2008 5:05:59 PM PST by TenthAmendmentChampion (Global warming is to Revelations as the theory of evolution is to Genesis.)
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To: NormsRevenge
B.S. It is nothing but redistribution of wealth. Global temperature has gone up one degree in 100 years.
3 posted on 03/05/2008 5:07:44 PM PST by gedeon3
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To: TenthAmendmentChampion; Genesis defender; proud_yank; FrPR; CygnusXI; enough_idiocy; rdl6989; ...
 


Global Warming Scam News & Views

Christopher Horner Video:
"The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming"

4 posted on 03/05/2008 5:09:19 PM PST by steelyourfaith
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To: NormsRevenge

It kind of sounds like the Socialists are starting to figure out that if they torpedo all of the capitalist countries with their BS, “global warming” hoax, who the hell will be around to keep their Socialist @$$es from going under and their populations starving to death.


5 posted on 03/05/2008 5:11:17 PM PST by FlingWingFlyer (In November, we're going to be able to elect politicians who say they can change the weather. YAY!)
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To: NormsRevenge
"We know the enemy. It is called carbon.

Wow, last time I checked we humans were considered a "carbon-based life form" -- let's invite all the leftists to purify themselves by ridding their bodies of all that bad carbon.
6 posted on 03/05/2008 5:11:56 PM PST by Enchante (Obama: I'll eagerly kiss Castro's cold dead ass, that's my foreign policy!!)
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To: NormsRevenge
(We know the enemy. It is called carbon.)

Are we not carbon based life forms ? so were enemies to our selves why dont these liberal idiots kill themselves if they care so much that way were left in peace and they don't have to worry about adding to the farce of the Seasons !

7 posted on 03/05/2008 5:14:37 PM PST by ATOMIC_PUNK (Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.)
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To: NormsRevenge
The parties claiming "affordability" are never the parties paying the bill. The leftist bureaucrats are determined to destroy our economy over the ignorant gum flapping of Al Bore and his minions.
8 posted on 03/05/2008 5:26:52 PM PST by Myrddin
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To: NormsRevenge

Norm, Look what some enterprising dude went and done! I saw a bumper sticker about this and checked it out http://www.terrapass.com/ Whatta guy! Making serious cash off a total LIE!


9 posted on 03/05/2008 5:45:01 PM PST by jaz.357 (When you throw mud, you lose ground.)
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To: NormsRevenge; 11B40; A Balrog of Morgoth; A message; ACelt; Aeronaut; AFPhys; AlexW; ...
DOOMAGE!

Global Warming PING!

You have been pinged because of your interest in environmentalism, alarmist wackos, mainstream media doomsday hype, and other issues pertaining to global warming.

Freep-mail me to get on or off: Add me / Remove me

Please ping me to all note-worthy threads on global warming.

Global Warming Doubters Strike Back

Global Warming on Free Republic

Latest from Global Warming News Site

Latest from Greenie Watch

Latest from Junk Science

Latest from Terra Daily

10 posted on 03/06/2008 9:54:41 AM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Cloverfield 2008! Why vote for a lesser monster?)
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To: NormsRevenge
one billion more people will be living in areas of severe water stress by 2030 than today

This part might be true. Has nothing to do with carbon pollution.

11 posted on 03/06/2008 9:56:59 AM PST by RightWhale (Clam down! avoid ataque de nervosa)
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To: NormsRevenge

Easy solution: don’t buy products from Brazil, Russia, India and China if you really care about the environment.

Of course I have other reasons to not buy from Russia and China than environmental ones.


12 posted on 03/06/2008 10:02:27 AM PST by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
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To: jaz.357
"Norm, Look what some enterprising dude went and done! I saw a bumper sticker about this and checked it out http://www.terrapass.com/ Whatta guy! Making serious cash off a total LIE!"

I wonder how a Fight Global Cooling site would be received? sarc/ Such a site could cover the benefits of a warmer earth, lower death rates, greater crop yields, etc. as well as the forecasts for global cooling to set in within the next ten years. The trouble would be that the site would be blocked by legislators or DNS attacks or some combination.

13 posted on 03/06/2008 10:33:40 AM PST by Truth29
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To: NormsRevenge
By 2030, Brazil, Russia, India and China's combined annual emissions "will exceed those of the 30 OECD countries combined," the group said.

Brazil?

How can that be?

Brazil powers their and trucks with all that "enviro-friendly" ethanol, they CAN'T possibly be polluting....

Russia and China don't give a rat's @ss about pollution, and India is just beginning to build up their industrial base....

14 posted on 03/06/2008 10:38:43 AM PST by dirtbiker (I 'm a liberal's worst nightmare:A redneck with a pickup, a library card, and a conceal carry permit)
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To: NormsRevenge

If it has a positive cost-benefit, than there should be no need to force people to do it.


15 posted on 03/06/2008 10:50:07 AM PST by militem (Jim Forsythe for Congress 2008 (www.jimforsythe.com))
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To: gedeon3

commie bastards


16 posted on 03/06/2008 11:33:23 PM PST by FBD (My carbon footprint is bigger then yours)
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