Climate of Fear: Why We Shouldn't Worry about Global Warming - Softcover

"History and research support the proposition that a warmer climate is beneficial," writes Thomas Gale Moore in this socioeconomic analysis of the potential effects of global warming. Moore--once a member of President Reagan's Council of Economic Advisers--is an economist, and thus wisely decides to focus on what might happen if global temperatures rise, rather than try to debunk the respected scientists who have concluded that they will. Using odd bits of historical and archaeological data (and the migration habits of modern retirees), Moore contends that warmer climates are good for humanity in terms of such things as technological advancement, life expectancy, and individual health. Moore's two meaningful points are that overall agricultural production is unlikely to suffer in a warmer world and that attempts to cut back on fossil fuel use now will be extremely, perhaps prohibitively, expensive. He says the best global-warming strategy is to maintain the status quo, continue research on climate, and help poor countries improve their economies. But his focus is extremely U.S.-centric, and his dismissal of the effects of even a few feet in sea level rise on, say, millions of Bangladeshis, is either purposefully naive or downright offensive. Climate of Fear isn't a rigorous examination of all sides of the global-warming controversy, but it provides an analysis of the potential economic consequences to the United States of implementing preventative measures.

Thomas Gale Moore is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution.