The Stern Report
January 31st, 2007 at 8:00 am by David FarrarThe BBC has an article summarising the many many criticisms of the Stern Report. And it notes these criticisms do not come from “climate change sceptics, but researchers with years of experience who believe that human-induced climate change is real and that we need to act now.”
As an example Professor Richard Tol of Cambridge is quoted by the Stern Report 63 times. His analysis of the Stern Report is it is somewhere between a D for diligence and F for fail,.
“There is a whole range of very basic economics mistakes that somebody who claims to be a Professor of Economics simply should not make”
Hat Tip: Tim Blair
Related posts:
- Bjorn Lomborg on Stern Review
- Climate Change Presentation
- A Howard Stern prank
- Was the 1990 1st assessment report accurate?
January 31st, 2007 at 4:57 pm
Thanks for the link. Worthwhile dipping in just to find this reference.
Reading it I was reminded of the “Club of Rome” Report in the 1970s which was quickly dismissed & widely derided on similar grounds; namely, for compounding + overstating all the negatives & for not anticipating the demand side impacts on supply of ‘scarce resources’ from market balancing mechanisms. That is, that resources would not run out but rather be priced out and/or substituted by other technologies.
There was (and still is) that issue, but well overstated then by politicians pushing their own (usually short term) agendas dressed up as Vision or by journalistic hyperbole.
This is inexact science – as the article indicates – and there is an issue but not yet identifying what are the most robust methods of addressing/mitigating it. The more information the better on which to base our options.
Look forward to reading the IPCC when released for further (better? more balanced?) assessments of this inexact science.
Vote:Thanks again.
January 31st, 2007 at 5:15 pm
There’s an interview with Stern in a recent Spectator where he is a lot less vehement than his report is.
In fact, he seems to pull back from a lot of it.
Vote:January 31st, 2007 at 5:17 pm
There are some bleats allready coming out of Britain about the latest IPCC report, that its “too consensus” driven.
The word is that the probability that the current warming ( not in NZ anyway) is 90% human produced.
90% probability wouldnt get your scientific paper into the most prestigious journals.
It seems that Antartica isnt warming at all , except for 5% which is the narrow peninusula which juts up to South America.
The poor British Antartic Survey can see all their funding dissapearing so are not very happy with a less alarmist consensus.
Whats the bet the hockey stick doesnt make an appearance since its been pretty well discredited by the Statisticians at the US Academy of Sciences
Vote:January 31st, 2007 at 5:19 pm
Heresy – how dare you challenge the climate change consensus. *Everybody* knows we’re destroying the world – there was a movie on it…
Vote:January 31st, 2007 at 5:23 pm
David Henderson, a lead critic of the Stern Report and who has an extraordinary CV, (see below)is coming to visit New Zeland next month on a speaking tour.
I am pleased to say he is a member of the New Zealand Climate Science Coaltion (economics panel) because there is no similar organisation in the UK (we have a science panel, an economics panel and a policy panel which makes us unique in the world).
I wonder how Climate Issues Minister feels when he reads this brief CV and recalls that he has described our Coalition as “a Lunatic Fringe.”
Some lunatics – some Fringe!
David Henderson was chief economist at the OECD in Paris from 1984 to 1992. Prior to that he was a Fellow of Lincoln College Oxford, professor of economics at University College London, economic adviser in HM Treasury, and later chief economist in the UK Ministry of Aviation. In 1985 he gave the BBC Reith Lectures, which were published under the title Innocence and Design: The Influence of Economic Ideas on Policy (Blackwell, 1986). Since leaving the OECD he has been an independent author and consultant, and has been a visiting professor at institutions in Britain, France, Belgium, Australia and New Zealand. He is an Honorary Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford, and in 1992 he was made Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George.
Vote:January 31st, 2007 at 6:21 pm
Owen – sounds fantastic. How does one get to go and see him?
Vote:January 31st, 2007 at 10:31 pm
Owen….all of those titles are just bought by big oil and their minions…you know that…;-)
Vote:January 31st, 2007 at 10:33 pm
Excellent, somewhere to wear these http://www.cafepress.com/therightplace/2033245
Vote:February 1st, 2007 at 9:14 am
He will be speaking in Wellington and Auckland.
The dates and venues are being finalised now.
I shall let David know when they are settled.
Vote:February 1st, 2007 at 10:44 am
Please do so Owen. Happy to do my bit for the VRWC
Vote:February 1st, 2007 at 6:11 pm
That would be the fictional VRWC that some LW morons think exists, as opposed to the VLWC that some RW morons (including members of the NZ CSC) think exists, so it’s morons all round.
Vote:As Friedrich von Schiller said (or would have had he spoke english):
“With stupidity the Gods themselves contend in vain”