November 26, 2007

1 min read

Google Logo Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm

Clash: What Will Climate Change Cost Us?

The science is clear: the climate is changing thanks to human activity. The question becomes: will preventing further globe-warming pollution ruin the global economy?

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

The preponderance of scientific evidence makes clear that the earth is warming as a result of human activity. Now policy makers are faced with the question of what to do about it. Scientific American spoke with three leading economic policy thinkers on the topic of how cutting emissions of greenhouse gases would affect the global economy. Links to the edited interviews follow below.

  • Sir Nicholas Stern


    Sir Nicholas Stern is an economist and professor of economics and government at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Former chief economist for the World Bank, he prepared the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change for the British government in 2006.

    Read the interview

    COURTESY OF NICHOLAS STERN

  • Bjorn Lomborg


    Bjorn Lomborg is a political scientist and adjunct professor at the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark. His latest book is entitled Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming.

    Read the interview

    COURTESY OF BJORN LOMBORG

  • Gary Yohe


    Gary Yohe is an economist at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn. and a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which shared this year's Nobel Peace Prize with former U.S. vice president, Al Gore.

    Read the interview

    COURTESY OF WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY

 

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American

Subscribe