Fallacy 8: Free Market Forces Will Drive The Transition to Renewables
21 Environmental Fallacies
This episode considers the challenge of transitioning to renewable energy. Rapid adoption of renewables is essential, but many governments appear reluctant to intervene in the energy market. Instead, there appears to be a reliance on free market forces. This strategy seems to be based largely on political ideology. However, this policy of abdicating responsibility to market forces does not apply to the fossil fuel sector, which receives massive financial support from governments. This discussion unpicks the contradictions and flaws in political strategies that rely on free market forces to...
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Fallacy 7: Carbon Credits Provide an Effective Mechanism For Offsetting Carbon Emissions
21 Environmental Fallacies
The carbon credit industry is integral to many of the strategies designed to limit the rise in global temperatures. Carbon credits provide a trading mechanism that enables the producers of carbon emissions to pay other organisations to undertake activities to offset the carbon emissions. In theory, this should prevent carbon emissions from warming the climate. In practice, it encourages the continued production of CO2 at a time when every effort should be dedicated to reducing CO2. However, there is a risk that carbon credits distort markets, slow the adoption of renewable technologies and...
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Fallacy 6: Green Policies Make People Worse Off
21 Environmental Fallacies
This episode considers the characteristics of good and bad environmental policies plus the complexities of cost-benefit analysis - who pays the cost and who enjoys the benefit. We also examine why governments might wish to perpetuate the view that we should not overreact to fears about global warming.
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Fallacy 5: Governments Are On Track To Deliver International Climate Targets
21 Environmental Fallacies
This episode considers whether we should feel reassured by political claims that ‘We are on track’. What does ‘On Track’ mean? Is this ‘On Track’ to achieve Net Zero? Is this ‘On Track’ to avoid temperatures exceeding the two-degree Centigrade upper limit? Is this ‘On Track’ to meet some other, vague and unspecified, climate targets? Scientific evidence shows that carbon emissions are increasing and global warming is accelerating. A dispassionate assessment of the current situation would suggest that we are far from being ‘On Track’. It is unclear whether claims...
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Fallacy 4: The Conference of The Parties is Making Acceptable Progress
21 Environmental Fallacies
The stated purpose of The Conference of The Parties is to ‘ …stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system’. For the last 30 years, COP events have been attempting to stabilise concentrations of CO2. For the last 30 years, concentrations have increased. It is astonishing that the international community has not declared COP to be an ineffective, failed organisation. The economic consequences of the impending climate catastrophe were highlighted in a recent report by The Institute and...
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Fallacy 3: The 1.5 degree centigrade target provides a safe limit
21 Environmental Fallacies
This episode questions the concept of a ‘safe limit’. Is this safe for people living at subsistence levels in developing countries? Or is it safe for people living in the major, western cities. Is it safe for the next 5 years or is it safe for future of generations yet to be born? Is it safe for all ecosystems around the world, or maybe just for some of them? There is a risk that even minimal rises in global temperatures could trigger natural feedback loops that might take the climate to an irreversible tipping point. Do we know where the tipping point is, or are we hoping that it is still...
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Fallacy 2: Achieving net zero will avoid a climate disaster
21 Environmental Fallacies
The goal of 'net zero' has been widely adopted by governments, the United Nations and many large corporate organisations. There seems to be broad consensus that achieving net zero will address the impending threat of global warming. At first sight, it seems logical that if we stop adding to the level of atmospheric CO2, then we will limit the rise in global temperatures. However, look a little closely, and the flaws in the strategy become apparent. The first problem is that the mechanisms for achieving net zero (carbon capture technologies and carbon offsetting, e.g. planting trees) are...
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Fallacy 1: Politicians Have The Power to Solve The Climate Crisis
21 Environmental Fallacies
We know that the planet is warming. There will soon come a point where runaway global warming will have catastrophic consequences for our economies, society and the rest of the natural world. Urgent action is required. We assume that politicians have the power to solve the crisis. But what if this assumption is wrong? What if our democratic processes are incapable of responding to the climate crisis? What if politicians are incapable of taking the actions that are required? This episode explores political processes and the challenges of implementing radical social and economic change. ...
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Introduction - challenging the political response to the climate crisis.
21 Environmental Fallacies
Light-hearted discussion on climate change, environmental collapse and the end of civilisation as we know it. For the last thirty years, international leaders have gathered to address the threat of climate change. Every year, there are bold proclamations and promises to take action. Yet, global temperatures continue to rise. What is going wrong? This podcast series exposes the flaws in the current response to the environmental crisis and challenges the key policies, beliefs and ideas that are driving the current, utterly ineffective response to the challenges that face us.
info_outlineThis episode considers the characteristics of good and bad environmental policies plus the complexities of cost-benefit analysis - who pays the cost and who enjoys the benefit. We also examine why governments might wish to perpetuate the view that we should not overreact to fears about global warming.