How Much Damage to Economy Climate Change Causes and What Can We Do About It?

The 2017 UN climate report has found extreme weather and climate-related events cost a devastating $320 billion in 2017. The UN says 2018 has followed in the footsteps of 2017 with extreme weather destroying livelihoods. Sputnik spoke with Michael Grubb Professor of Climate Change at UCL for more insight into the problem.
Sputnik

Sputnik: What can be done now to reduce the severity of global warming?

Michael Grub: We’ve got to basically either cut emissions or work out how to deal with the impact. What I think is interesting about recent reports is that they are piling on the evidence that climate change is happening and that it’s not a smooth temperature rise, it’s a disruption of climate patterns.

Sputnik: What is your opinion on politicians such as US President Trump who deny climate change?

Michael Grub: It’s unnerving to see the US now in a situation where the national academy of sciences publishes a report without interference about how serious the climate change issue is, for the President to essentially ignore it, whilst essentially trying to protect coal plants, which are the worst polluters.

Sputnik: Could Global warming damage the world’s economy?

Michael Grub: I think the biggest impact we could see is if Climate change precipitates some kind of food supply crisis, we’ve seen extreme droughts and flooding already, but it’s hard to say when this could happen.

That being said; there is another angle in that we are making progress in some regions to significantly cut emissions and utilise renewable energy sources.

Discuss