Climate Rationality
From Bias to Balance

Johnston unpacks and critiques the legal, economic, and scientific basis for precautionary climate policies pursued in the United States.

Jason S. Johnston (Author)

9781108415637, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 19 August 2021

280 pages
23.5 x 16 x 4 cm, 1.08 kg

'Johnston's exhaustive analysis shows that governments and courts alike need to realize the IPCC is not what it appears: longstanding procedural flaws have allowed it to function as an advocacy group while claiming to be a science authority. This book is a critical contribution to understanding and fixing the problem.' Ross McKitrick, Professor of Economics, Departments of Economics and Finance, University of Guelph, Ontario

Most environmental statutes passed since 1970 have endorsed a pragmatic or 'precautionary' principle under which the existence of a significant risk is enough to trigger regulation. At the same time, targets of such regulation have often argued on grounds of inefficiency that the associated costs outweigh any potential benefits. In this work, Jason Johnston unpacks and critiques the legal, economic, and scientific basis for precautionary climate policies pursued in the United States and in doing so sheds light on why the global warming policy debate has become increasingly bitter and disconnected from both climate science and economics. Johnston analyzes the most influential international climate science assessment organizations, the US electric power industry, and land management and renewable energy policies. Bridging sound economics and climate science, this pathbreaking book shows how the United States can efficiently adapt to a changing climate while radically reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

1. Introduction
Part I. The Costs of Precautionary Policy: 2. The endangerment game
3. The precautionary principle: what it does and doesn't do
4. EPA's newfound role in regulating automobile mileage
5. 'It will bankrupt you' – using environmental regulations to end the mining and use of coal in the United States
6. The clean power plan, the rule of law, and EPA's takeover of state and regional electricity systems
7. Renewable power and the reliabilty and cost of electricity
8. Renewable power subsidies and mandates: harming today's environment and punishing the poor
9. Spinning the tort liability roulette wheel
Part II. The Other Side of the Story: the Structure, Process and Output of Climate Science Assessment Institutions and the Science they Neglect: 10. But is it true? The case for taking a critical look at the economic and physical science underlying estimates of the benefits of ghg emission reduction
11. 'Born in politics': the rise of the climate change science production and assessment complex
12. Settling science and propagandizing for action: the structure, process and products of the climate science production complex
13. Recent observed climate change in longer term perspective
14. Beyond co2: causes of regional climate change that the IPCC has ignored
15. Projecting future climate from computer models and far, far distant earth history
16. The precautionary social cost of carbon
Part III. Toward Rational Climate Policy: 17. Adapt and prosper
18. The surprising sahel
19. Selected policy implications.

Subject Areas: Climate change [RNPG], International organisations & institutions [LBBU], International environmental law [LBBP], Environmental economics [KCN], International relations [JPS]