The Economic benefits of the Kyoto protocol
Nature 413, 478-479 October 2001
A key objection raised by opponents of the Kyoto Protocol is that compliance to the target of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions by 5.3% by 2012 would impose an unacceptable economic burden. Based on an analysis of alternative scenarios for electricity generation over the next ten years, De Leo et al. conclude that if the costs in terms of damage to human health, material goods, agriculture and the environment caused by greenhouse gas emissions are included in the equation, the economic argument against Kyoto is untenable.
Notes:
In 2001 in the journal Nature, it was shown that the Kyoto protocol, far from being a costly waste of time, would actually be economically a wise move given the wide range of detrimental effects global warming could have...