The Truth About a High-Carbon World

In prior issues, the Trends editors have quantified the miniscule nature of the adverse impact of global warming over the next century and compared it to the enormous adverse impact of carbon dioxide mitigation, especially on the quality of life of the world’s three billion poorest people. The results clearly indicate that anyone who places a premium on worldwide human happiness should favor a market-driven future that optimally exploits our wealth of fossil fuels. But what about the non-warming implications of increased carbon dioxide levels in the Earth’s at.....