puerto Ayora (Ecuador), 27 mar (EFE).-climate change is a threat increasingly risky, a chance to start “a new industrial revolution energy”, he told Efe Nicholas Stern, former Chief Economist of the World Bank and one of the most influential voices in the respect in the world.
In a far-reaching report published in 2006 and that it bears his name, the British Stern made see global warming as something more than a concern of ministries of environment and environmentalists on the planet, but as an economic problem, which should consider companies and ministries of finance.
Stern, which became part of the House of Lords in London for his work, finds moments of crisis also moments of transformation.
“We must begin an energy industrial revolution,” said in an interview in Puerto Ayora, the largest town in the Galapagos Islands, where today will participate in a Conference on the subject.
“That’s the good news, because the industrial revolutions are full of discoveries, creativity, growth and investment,” said Stern, who believed that Latin America may become a great source of biofuels for the world.
Stern advocates an economic recovery worldwide “low emission” and therefore believes that United States and the European Union have made a “big mistake” focusing only on controlling the deficit and debt, the end of accounts have not done very well, in his view.
In comparison, China launched in 2009 a revival based on the “green economy”, according to Stern, who believes that “the growth with low carbon emissions is the only viable growth of the future”.
Stern acknowledges that China had much more buoyant than Europe or United States finances before going into the crisis, giving him more room for manoeuvre.
On the other hand, in his eagerness to clean up accounts public countries such as Spain, France, United Kingdom and Germany have announced reductions in some energy subsidies “clean”, measures which Stern described as “immature” and “ill-conceived changes”.
He believes that investing in these industries is a safe business, because the mitigation of climate change is inevitable.
Six years after he lead the Group of experts that developed the study known as “Stern” by his surname, which was commissioned by the British Government, the situation of the planet is worse than what they anticipated.
The melting in the Arctic is faster than expected and therefore also the rise of the level of the oceans, for example.
Chain of global warming effects are patent in the Galapagos Islands, where anticipate more rain, which means an advantage for plants and animals “invasive”, and new dangers for “endemic” species, i.e., that only exist there, such as several species of giant tortoises and iguanas.
In southern Europe, climate change brings the desertification, while the Amazon forest could “collapse”, according to Stern.
In his report estimated that the cost of stabilizing the volume of gases that produce the greenhouse effect would be 1% of the gross domestic product (GDP) World year. Now believes that it has risen to 2%, due in part to the lack of action since 2006.
“us accused of being alarmist, but in my opinion we underestimate the risks,” said Stern, who referred to the capacity of absorption of carbon dioxide from the planet is less than the calculated and pollution continues to rise.
In 2010 emissions increased 5%, despite the global crisis, due largely to the high growth in emerging countries such as China, India and Brazil.
The report estimated that if humans did nothing to curb global warming, the world economy would lose between 5 and 20% of the GDP.
In the middle of this frightening scenario there are hopeful signs, according to Stern.
Technology has advanced in the last six years more quickly than the predicted and, for example, the cost of solar and wind energy production has fallen exponentially, as he noted.
“no to choose between the development of human wealth and the environment.” “We must find a way to have both,” remarked Stern.
César Muñoz Acebes
In the image, Nicholas Stern, former Chief Economist of the World Bank and one of the most influential voices in the respect in the world. EFE/file
