Economics of Environmental Controls

[KeithE]

[William Thornton]

I trust your expertise in this area. The co2 benefits are calculated as being between 12 & 33 billion dollars. Can you tell me what makes up the dollar benefits for co2?

[KeithE]

[William Thornton]

"The benefits of the proposal far outweigh the costs. Carbon dioxide from power plants contributes to the severity of heat waves, droughts, floods and rising sea levels,..."

Don't even you have a little hesitation in quantifying and assigning a dollar "cost" on extremely short term (2013-2020) global warming stuff?

[KeithE]

[William Thornton]

The reason I asked is because of the cost assessment for a very short term, 2013-2020. If there is a cost to rising sea levels then what is the rise in the level up to now and what are the expected rises in the next seven years? Should be a very concrete prediction, easily verifiable or refuted, and quickly.

Scientists have concluded that the intensity of storms and attendant damages are due to increased co2. OK, presuming that (a very generous presumption) does that allow for a reduction in costs for a year such as the present hurricane year which is very mild and quiet?
And the figures apply dollars to all this with some presumption that whatever rules passed and implemented by EPA and adhered to by industry to reduce co2 emissions fractionally will actually save some of these assessed environmental costs, e.g., the power industry reduces co2 by x% by 2020, that slows sea level rise and storm intensity by a concomitant x% thereby saving money?

The whole thing has such a smoke and mirrors feel to it.

You ask: "Don’t you have any hesitancy in causing such burdens on future generations?"

This question is irrelevant to my participation in this topic which I specifically limited to the short term, seven years between 2012-2020...but you've been known to move the goal posts before.

[KeithE]

[William Thornton]

Perhaps you will find time to explain how co2 controls implemented over the next 7 years will make storms less intense and sea levels lower.

[Dave Roberts]

[KeithE]

[William Thornton]

Love the graphs...now will you explain how controls if implemented now will lower sea levels and storm intensity and thereby save the billions between now and 2020?

[KeithE]

[William Thornton]

Thanks. That helps. I'm not with you on any action the US might take now being sufficient to save co2 costs immediately. Will storms be less intense or sea levels lower' or less high on such a short term.

[KeithE]

[William Thornton]

I'm not ignoring long term any more than the graphs and links that covered 2013-2020. I'm questioning the quantifying of short term costs and conclusions that storms will be more intense etc.

If the EPA adopts stronger co2 emission rules, then billions will be saved in the next few years?

[KeithE]

[William Thornton]

..so, you're calling BS on the graph showing these short term costs? There is nothing the US can do in the next 7 years to reduce or eliminate these alleged costs?

[ET]

[KeithE]

[KeithE]

[David Flick]

[KeithE]

[Haruo]

… but isn't the Danish Ministry of Science something Al Gore invented shortly before he went into politics? …

[KeithE]

[David Flick]