Climate Change and Public Policy

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It is becoming increasingly certain that climate change will have severe adverse effects on the environment in years to come. Addressing this issue poses a serious challenge for policy makers. How we choose to respond to the threat of global warming is not simply a political issue. It is also an economic issue and an ethical one. Responsible, effective climate change policy requires consideration of a number of complex factors, including weighing the costs of implementing climate change policies against the benefits of more environmentally sustainable practices. Furthermore, this analysis must take place amidst serious gaps in the existing research and technology concerning the developing climatic condition. For these reasons, global warming stands as one of the most daunting policy issues facing our world today. This is compounded by the debate over the very existence of climate change. While countless sources of empirical evidence testify to the very real presence of climate change the world over, considerable denial of the phenomenon still exists. The argument has been made that evidence about climate change is a gross overstatement, or in some cases, a complete fabrication. Despite the evidence to the contrary, many interest groups with considerable political clout have successfully perpetuated the argument that documented changes in the environment are a product of natural cyclical changes in climate, and are not associated with human activities. However, even the acceptance of this particular brand of reality is no grounds for the disregard of environmental consciousness. Even if one accepts the premise that recent climate change is not resultant of human activity, the rationale behind environmental conservation remains ... ... middle of paper ... ...University. Web. 2 Dec. 2011. . Kverndokk, Snorre, and Adam Rose. Equity and Justice in Global Warming Policy. Working paper no. 239. Vol. 80. Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei, 2008. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. . Nordhaus, William D. "Economic Aspects of Global Warming in a Post-Copenhagen Environment." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107.26 (2010): 11721-1726. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. . Nordhaus, William. The Challenge of Global Warming: Economic Models and Environmental Policy. New Haven: Yale University, 2007. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. Rabe, Barry G. Statehouse and Greenhouse: the Emerging Politics of American Climate Change Policy. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution, 2004. 1-10. Web. 2 Dec. 2011.

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