Slate CC12: An Ounce of Prevention ...

While the world focuses on the devastating storms in South Asia and the US, it is timely to ask ourselves two broad, related questions. First, how do we prevent such disasters from being so devastating in the future? And second, how do we best help the vulnerable people who are most affected?

When big weather events happen, often the first thing talked about is climate change. Perhaps it’s a matter of trying to pin blame for a natural disaster. “South Asia is also suffering the horrors of climate change” was one recent American headline.

2013-09-15 One of the most persistent claims in the climate debate is that global warming leads to more extreme weather. Green groups and even such respectable outlets as Scientific American declare that “extreme weather is a product of climate change.”  And the meme seems irresistible as a political shortcut to action.

The goal of Copenhagen Consensus 2012 was to set priorities among a series of proposals for confronting ten great global challenges. A panel of economic experts, comprising some of the world’s most distinguished economists, was invited to consider these issues. The ten challenge papers, commissioned from acknowledged authorities in each area of policy, included nearly 40 proposals for the panel’s consideration. During the conference the panel examined these proposals in detail.