An Overview of Climate Change: What does it mean for our way of life? What is the best future we can hope for?

Neva Goodwin

No 37711, Working Papers from Tufts University, Global Development and Environment Institute

Abstract: This paper starts with the question of whether climate change will require a significant reduction of consumption among the richer people in the world, and ends with the most optimistic picture the author can conjure up, of the world in the year 2075. That hopeful picture is of a world in which inequalities – among and within nations – have been substantially reduced. The challenges and adjustments confronting humanity in the coming decades provide an opportunity that could be used to mitigate climate change in ways that can improve the circumstances of the poor. Ecological reasons to reduce throughput of energy and materials in economic systems urge the abandonment of high-consumption life-styles. The 21st century will be an era of many losses, but it is conceivable that societies will successfully make the transition from goals of economic growth, as understood in the 20th century, to goals of maintaining and increasing sustainable well-being.

Keywords: Environmental Economics and Policy; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; International Development; International Relations/Trade; Political Economy; Resource/Energy Economics and Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 37
Date: 2008-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene, nep-env and nep-pke
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:tugdwp:37711

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.37711

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