This is nuts, but, do you expect different from the Cult of Climastrology?
Worried about the stock market? Don't be. There's solid evidence that an economic downturn could be good for the planet.
Over the past 40 years or so, the only times the world has (temporarily) decreased emissions has come during economic recessions.https://t.co/M52srJZRSl
— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) December 28, 2018
Seriously, this is where he goes (the article was written by Eric)
There’s evidence that an economic downturn could be good for the planet. The rare times the world has successfully temporarily stabilized or decreased annual emissions were during economic recessions like 1990-93 and 2008-09.
Recessions can force a rethink of the status quo; they demand efficiency and innovation. In short, during a recession, the economy must figure out how to do more with less. That’s exactly the challenge we face now that the science is absolutely clear that radical change is our only hope to stop climate change before irreversible tipping points kick in.
But, for those who are slamming him, many aren’t reading the article
But while our capitalistic, growth-based economy is still closely tied to fossil-fuel use and a sustained downturn would likely reduce emissions, the whole truth is not so simple. Economic hardship doesn’t just hurt the rich, who are (by far!) the world’s biggest carbon emitters. Economic downturns hit hard in places with large inequality like Miami and Puerto Rico, which are also slated to bear some of the biggest burdens of climate change.
Not only would another recession impact unemployment, it could result in a shift in priority away from long-term challenges (like climate change) and onto short-term survival. And because governments have a bad habit of choosing austerity as a tool for cutting spending, it’s likely the rich will try to pass off the burden of their mistakes on the backs of the working class.
He does note that downturns hurt actual people. However, it does seem like a secondary concern, since Eric jumps into class warfare and the notion that people will ignore Doing Something about ‘climate change’ (even more than they do now).
Climate change is much more terrifying than a potential recession. Still, we SHOULD care about the volatility of the stock market and a looming recession — at the very least, it should make us pay attention to the fragility of our current system and provide excuses for rethinking the way things work.
In other words, like so many Warmists, he wants to change the economic system. He doesn’t say to what, but, I understand the old Soviet Union had a pretty low carbon footprint, at least from the average citizen.
From what I understand, medieval Europe had a pretty low carbon footprint, too, even though the HVAC of the day consisted of fireplaces. That most people died in their forties or earlier, well, that was a small price to pay for that low-emissions society, right?
I suspect that Mr Holthaus would be a little less sanguine about a recession if it was his job and personal security that were endangered.