Economists say it is okay to lie about climate change

Two economics professors have published a peer-reviewed article in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics in which they say it is okay to lie about climate change in order to get more countries involved in making international agreements. The authors are Fuhai Hong, an assistant professor in the Division of Economics, Nanyang Technological University and Xiaojian Zhao, an assistant professor in the Department of Economics, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Here is the abstract of their paper [source]:

“It appears that news media and some pro-environmental organizations have the tendency to accentuate or even exaggerate the damage caused by climate change. This article provides a rationale for this tendency by using a modified International Environmental Agreement (IEA) model with asymmetric information. We find that the information manipulation has an instrumental value, as it ex post induces more countries to participate in an IEA, which will eventually enhance global welfare. From the ex ante perspective, however, the impact that manipulating information has on the level of participation in an IEA and on welfare is ambiguous.”

This, of course, is what the IPCC is doing and it is nothing new. Back in 1989, Dr. Stephen Schneider told Discover Magazine that “we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts we might have. This ‘double ethical bind’ which we frequently find ourselves in cannot be solved by any formula. Each of us has to decide what the right balance is between being effective and being honest. I hope that means being both.” [source]

Let’s not forget that recently retired NASA scientist James Hansen has called for the chief executives of large fossil fuel companies to be put on trial for high crimes against humanity and nature. [source]

The climate craziness continues.

For some real science, see:

IPCC scary stories and a dose of reality

Failure of climate models shows that carbon dioxide does not drive global temperature

The Myth of Ocean Acidification by Carbon Dioxide

and in my Wryheat blog:

http://wryheat.wordpress.com/2014/03/30/climate-change-reconsidered-ii-biological-impact/