Sections

Research

Climate Change: An Agenda for Global Collective Action

Joseph E. Aldy, Joseph E. Stiglitz, and
Joseph Stiglitz headshot
Joseph E. Stiglitz Professor - Columbia University
Peter R. Orszag
Peter R. Orszag Vice Chairman of Investment Banking, Managing Director, and Global Co-Head of Healthcare - Lazard

October 1, 2001

Download full paper (PDF—335 kb) from
The Pew Center on Global Climate Change.
See also www.pewclimate.org.


Over the past decade, and especially over the past few years, climate change has emerged as one of the most important issues facing the international community. The reasons are almost obvious: We share a common planet; we lack a viable alternative living space should we destroy the atmosphere of this common planet; concentrations of so-called greenhouse gases have increased markedly during the past century; and the scientific evidence suggests that continued increases in greenhouse gas concentrations are likely to have significant effects on the climate and thereby other aspects of the earth’s ecology.

A global consensus now exists that climate change represents a significant potential threat to the world’s well-being. But there is disagreement about how and when to address that threat….