Clean energy is now cheaper than coal, and there is no direct link between carbon emission and GDP growth. Yet we keep hearing that a growing country must burn more. We also hear that extra CO2 feeds the plants, while the warming it brings is already shrinking our wheat, maize and rice. These arguments are so weak that even those who make them know it. So why do we keep believing them, and what are we really protecting?
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[From a session on climate denialism, held beside a live demonstration: a block of ice standing for the Himalayan glaciers, slowly melting into a tank of water.]
Questioner: Since we’re talking about India and the US, two other arguments that denialists make. One is that if we don’t emit, then that will wreck the economy, and India needs GDP growth. And the other related one is that China and the US emit more, so why should India stay behind? Why should we stop? And just some numbers on that. The total emissions of China are 12 gigatons, and India is just at 3.2. And it’s even more stark if you look at per capita emissions. The USA tops the chart…
Acharya Prashant: 14.
Questioner: …like you also said. It’s at 14.4 tons per American, and India is just…
