Before we decide if a zero-carbon
economy by 2050 is worth the cost, we must know what the damage to our economy
from global warming will be if we do nothing. Only then will we know how
important and urgent action on global warming really is.
Estimates of the cost of global warming as a percentage of
GDP to New Zealand are elusive. I drew a nil response when I asked for that
information from James Shaw, the Minister for Climate Change, and from
the Ministry for the Environment. Both said such an estimate was too hard
to calculate.
