第 339 期·中文精讀

氣候變化辯論:比約恩·隆伯格與安德魯·雷夫金

Climate Change Debate: Bjørn Lomborg and Andrew Revkin

兩位立場相左的評論者就氣候政策的成本、能源轉型與媒體敘事展開交鋒。

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OECD 做過一次覆蓋所有成員國的民調,60% 的受訪者認為,全球變暖很有可能、或者極有可能導致人類滅絕。

這是富裕國家的資料,來自經合組織的官方調查,並非某個邊緣論壇的投票。Bjørn Lomborg(比約恩·隆伯格)在 Lex Fridman 的播客裡丟擲這個數字時語氣很平靜,緊接著那句推論很重:如果這真是顆撞向地球的隕石,十二年後人類就沒了,那我們確實不該再關心任何別的事,應該立刻派布魯斯·威利斯上天把它炸掉。

聯合國氣候面板沒這麼說。科學文獻也沒有。

這期播客請了兩個人。Lomborg 是哥本哈根共識中心(Copenhagen Consensus)的主席,寫過《The Skeptical Environmentalist》《Cool It》《False Alarm》。Andrew Revkin 是氣候變化報道領域最受尊敬的記者之一,寫全球環境變化和風險三十多年,其中二十年待在《紐約時報》。Lex 一開場就把框架說清楚了:叫辯論,但目標是各說各的,別互相開火。

一條光譜,和一個不存在的中心

Lex 先畫了條光譜。

一端是"氣候變化是騙局,不是人造成的",再往極端挪一格,是"科學機構、政客、媒體在合謀編造這件事"。另一端是對災難性後果的警報,警報的終點寫著:人類文明短期內滅絕。損失、苦難這些詞都不夠用了,落在紙面上的是物種本身的終結。

他想找中間。他請這兩位來,是因為兩人都帶著某種謙遜,而且分別站在中點兩側。

Revkin 的回答有點出人意料:這個問題上根本沒有中心,因為提問的方式就不對。

在社交媒體上、在電視上,有一群人在製造一種印象,好像這裡只有一個問題。這是第一個錯誤。我們正在和氣候系統建立一種新關係,同時也在重新設計能源系統,這兩件事在很多層面是脫節的。(Andrew Revkin)

他說想跳出這個極化宇宙,第一步是退後一步問:這到底是什麼?

問完之後會發現,這是兩套舊能源規範與一個正在生長的認知之間的碰撞。那套認知是:如果你不停往大氣里加一種看不見的氣體,因為它會累積,它就會改變一切。已經改變了,還會持續幾千年。

一顆會累積的氣泡

Revkin 用啤酒解釋二氧化碳。

"二氧化碳,最主要的溫室氣體,它就是啤酒裡的氣泡。"

Lex 追問為什麼是啤酒。Revkin 說自己喜歡啤酒,可樂裡也有這東西。真正有意思的是這個比喻背後的認知慣性:它是無害的。人類從小到大的經驗裡,二氧化碳是植物的食物,是飲料裡的氣泡,除非你被關在密閉房間裡窒息,否則它跟"汙染物"這個詞壓根沾不上邊。

所以當有人說,我們要迅速過渡到一個把這種氣體當作汙染物、從上面監管、往下壓制的世界,Revkin 的反應是:這想法太魔幻。他看這件事看了三十五年。

這句話裡藏著一個真實的困難。一種無色無味、植物愛吃、飲料裡天天喝的氣體,要讓人從直覺上把它當成威脅,幾乎違背全部日常經驗。理解氣候變化需要的全是抽象能力:理解累積、理解濃度、理解時間尺度上的滯後。這種能力人類本來就不強。公共衛生領域花了上百年,才讓人相信看不見的細菌會致病,氣候的難度還要更高一層,因為後果分散在幾十年後,落在別人身上。

一本雜誌的封底

Revkin 帶了一件道具上節目。

1988 年那期雜誌的封面故事,標題是《溫室效應被發現了》。報道的起因是當年晚春,美國氣候學家 Jim Hansen 在參議院一個委員會做了一場戲劇性的作證。那天很熱,報道上了頭條,這就是結果。

然後他把雜誌翻過來,給 Lex 看封底。

菸草廣告。

他沒多做解釋,意思卻很清楚:同一年,一本正經討論公共健康威脅的雜誌,封底還在賣煙。我們對"什麼算有害"的認知一直在移動。今天被當成常識的東西,可能幾年前還是異端;今天被當成無害的東西,可能過幾年就要被重新定價。

這個細節還有另一層。氣候報道從誕生那天起就帶著媒體的運作邏輯:要有戲劇性、要有衝突、要有當天的熱度。Hansen 那場作證之所以成為起點,部分原因是那天很熱,記者們有畫面可寫。三十多年過去,這套邏輯沒變,只是舞臺從雜誌換成了社交媒體。

被漏掉的十五年

Revkin 說自己有一趟學習之旅。

他 1988 年開始報道氣候,最初把問題定義得很單純:七十、八十年代的汙染在改變環境,所以要聚焦溫室效應,聚焦汙染。這個框架他用了差不多十五年,一直到 2007 年前後。

漏掉的是另一半:在氣候改變的同時,我們也在改變自己,而且是在給自己製造脆弱性。

他舉了腳下這座城市的例子。奧斯汀西邊有一片區域,1920 年代被命名為"山洪走廊"(Flash Flood Alley)。名字起得很準,那裡真的容易發山洪。後來所有人都忘了這回事,沿著那些河谷蓋起了大片社群。

水一來,一邊的人喊"全球變暖,全球變暖",另一邊的人不承認。兩邊都漏掉了同一個事實:我們自願地、貪婪地把脆弱性建在了絕對危險的地方。

同樣的劇本在巴基斯坦上演過,在佛羅里達的 Fort Myers 上演過。

這個認知帶來一個後果:故事變複雜了,複雜到塞不進一篇雜誌報道。它同時給了你更多可以下手的地方。今天不適合蓋房的海岸線,明天也不適合。我們知道怎麼設計得更好。這件事和規劃未來的能源結構,可以同時做。

他說,這也是他後來不再打"信還是不信"那場仗的原因。那場仗打不出東西來,它把注意力從能做的事情上挪開了。

四千萬到兩億兩千五百萬

Revkin 舉了一組他剛查的數字。

1960 年,巴基斯坦有 4000 萬人。今天,2.25 億。其中很大一部分仍然住在農村,住在印度河的洪泛區。那條河從喜馬拉雅山下來,滋養了那裡五千年的農業史。

把兩億人放在洪水必經之路上,損失的賬本就得重新算。

他特意補了一句:這並不是在責怪巴基斯坦人口太多。這是物理事實。新聞裡看到的那些損失,背後是大量的人和大量的資產,被放在了危險的位置。這句補充很有必要,因為這類討論很容易滑向某種冷漠,滑向"誰讓你們住那兒"的甩鍋。

真正的推論往另一個方向走:那條河裡有多少水、什麼時候下來,屬於氣候問題;河兩岸站了多少人、房子蓋在離河多遠的地方,屬於發展問題、治理問題、規劃問題。後一類歸我們自己管。

誰該為一場颶風負責

有一個叫 Wx risk 的天氣歸因團隊,在 Twitter 上做得不錯。每次極端天氣事件之後,他們會算:這次風暴裡有多少成分,是被二氧化碳改變的氣候加進去的。

媒體很喜歡這個。Revkin 說他自己在八十、九十、兩千年代也很喜歡。

但那些報告通常還有另外一節:這個地區本身的脆弱性,也是損失的主要驅動因素。

區分"地面上發生了什麼"和"氣候系統裡發生了什麼",從來不可能只看二氧化碳。

他提到 Lauren Bower 的研究,2010 年他在《紐約時報》第一次寫這個。當時的結論是:資料裡看不到氣候變化在驅動災害的訊號。氣候在這一層,災害在地面上那一層。災害取決於有多少人在路上、有多少東西建在路上。二十世紀我們做得太多太快,這一塊的貢獻完全壓過了氣候那部分。想要精確分辨出一場災難裡有多少來自全球變暖,非常困難。

Lomborg 接過話,給了佛羅里達的數字。

1940 年,佛羅里達有 60 萬套房。今天,1000 萬套。八十年,十七倍。Ian 颶風刮過來,損失當然大得嚇人。而且很多房子就蓋在本不該蓋的地方。

他說,很多科學家很執著於一個問題:我們能不能測量出全球變暖的影響?這是個有意思的科學問題,他也認為早晚會測出來。

真正的問題是,如果目標是讓人在未來少受傷害,哪些槓桿在手裡?

二氧化碳這個槓桿,用在保護這些人身上,極其困難,效率低得驚人。分割槽規劃、建築規範、別讓人在山洪走廊蓋房,這些事簡單得多,快得多,幫到的人多得多。

Lomborg 說,因為太聚焦在這一個議題上,談這些別的東西幾乎成了一種褻瀆。他用了一個挺妙的說法:這些明明是我們更有能力、更快見效、能救更多人的事,卻不好意思開口談。

十二年的代價

現在回到開頭那個 60%。

Lomborg 說這個數字讓人害怕,理由很直接:如果真的是一顆隕石在飛,"我們應該關心別的事"這句話在邏輯上就站不住。所有資源都該砸上去,別的議題全部讓路。

這套邏輯一旦被接受,會反向扭曲決策。他自己列了一個很具體的後果:如果你真信十二年後就結束,那麼任何需要十三年才能見效的方案都不可能被考慮。而氣候、脆弱性、能源系統,絕大部分工作的週期是半個世紀到一個世紀。

於是出現一種對話死結。你說我們未來五十年會大幅提高可再生能源佔比,對方看你的眼神像在說:那已經晚了三十八年。

這個死結的代價是雙向的。願意幹活的人被時間表逼到無路可走,能幹活的時間被浪費在證明誠意上。

Revkin 補了另一個後果:它讓人癱瘓。Adam McKay 那部《不要抬頭》裡就有一群人,看完了笑一笑,說這事沒救了。他說很多人面對過大的東西就是這個反應,太大就動不了,反而拿不到那些具體的行動點。

Lomborg 說他想做的,是把人從這個懸崖邊拉回來,然後開啟話題。承認氣候是個問題,同時承認它還有很多同類,有很多地方能用低得多的成本產生大得多的影響。

給 Greta 一個公平的辯護

Lex 請 Lomborg 替 Greta Thunberg 做一個最強的辯護。既然單一視角有毛病,那總得有人把音量開到最大,否則沒人聽。

Lomborg 的回答挺誠懇。他說完全理解 Greta 在做什麼,也很尊重。他想到的是這一代孩子的處境:他們從小被反覆告知,你活不到成年,或者至少活不到中年。在這種資訊環境里長起來,把氣候當成唯一議題,是自然反應。

他還說 Greta 做了一件好事:她讓更多人開始談氣候。這個議題需要被討論。

然後才是他的反對:這麼做的結論是錯的。他自己在節目裡重複了那個邏輯,如果十二年後就死,為什麼要讀書,為什麼要關心任何事。一整個世代的年輕人被困在這個問題裡,這不是小事。

他順帶說了一句關於媒體機制的話,挺不留情面:幾乎所有政策討論最後都由極端聲音主導,因為電視上極端更好看。徹底的否認者和明天就死的末日論者對打,收視率更高。這種泥地摔跤式的辯論,把中間那些真正需要攤開的技術細節全擠掉了。

Lomborg 說,他看到那種"這是不是騙局"的爭論已經基本退場,剩下的人越來越少,而且站不住腳。真正的問題換了個方向:一方在說世界要完了,另一方在說我們可以處理,只是需要時間、需要聰明的辦法。

擰燈泡的那一下

Revkin 說他大概十年前才在報道里第一次真正搞懂"路徑依賴"(path dependency)這個詞。

意思是,你身處一個系統裡。法律怎麼立,參議院怎麼卡殼,這些結構性東西構成了腳下的地形。他有一句話說得挺狠:

美國沒有氣候危機。在政府如何運作、或者如何不運作這件事上,我們有一場決策危機。(Andrew Revkin)

路徑依賴有多頑固?你換一個燈泡,哪怕是最新的 LED,還是把它擰進那個一百一十到一百二十年前設計的燈座。那個燈座是十九世紀煤氣燈的遺產,那時候的燈就是擰上去的。

汽車也一樣。今天生產的一輛車,壽命四十年。它會一路流轉,最後賣到墨西哥當二手車。一整個車隊不可能一夜之間換掉。

在能源這類事情上,我們走在一條很長很長的路徑上。就算"十二年後世界末日"是真的,也沒有快速解法。這句話的邏輯很乾淨:末日敘事要求你立刻解決一個結構上無法立刻解決的問題。它註定落空,而落空的次數多了,人就不信了。

六種美國人

Lex 問那個老問題:現在還有多少人相信氣候是騙局?

Revkin 提到耶魯大學的氣候傳播專案,他們做了十三年"六種美國人"(Six Americas)研究,把公眾態度分成六檔,從"完全否定"到"高度警覺",中間有好幾個氣泡。中間那些氣泡裡,大部分是對議題不太關心的遊離人群。

趨勢很清楚:警覺和參與的人群在擴大,否定的人群在縮小。但否定那一檔是一塊頑固的石頭,跟疫苗以及其他很多議題上的情況一樣,無論怎麼問都在那兒。

至於"人類活動在導致氣候變化"這個判斷,多數美國人是接受的。當然,問卷怎麼措辭會影響結果。全球範圍內也差不多,媒體講了二十年,人自然會信,而且這件事本身是真的。

Lomborg 在這裡主動補了一句,他說這話有點讓人沮喪,但還是得說:他和 Revkin 都接受聯合國氣候面板的科學結論,全球變暖確實在發生,是個問題,而且是由人類造成的。

這句"先把它放一邊"的表態在這個語境裡很有必要。它劃出了一條線:爭論的位置已經從"是不是真的"移到了"該怎麼辦、先辦哪件"。

Revkin 順著往下推了一層:氣候相關事件的損失,主要也是人類造成的,只不過是在地面這一層,在我們蓋房子、定居、擴張的地方。同一種歸因,指向完全不同的行動清單。

3700 億美元和一個招聘啟事

Lex 問 Revkin,泥地摔跤到底有沒有用。他自己在 Twitter 上很有存在感。

Revkin 的回答分兩半。一半是娛樂:上去看人打架,如果圖的就是這個,那確實有用。另一半是工具:他在這個平臺上做的是具體的事,今天怎麼把能源行動落到貧困社群,Ian 颶風到底發生了什麼,誰的風險最大,重建的時候怎麼做得比原來更好。他說自己討厭"重建得更好"這個說法,可事情還是這件事。

然後他給了一個很具體的數字:美國政府剛往氣候上投了 3700 億美元。

他反覆從政府內部聽到同一句話。能源部管那個巨型貸款專案的 Jigar Shah 說,他現在需要一萬九千五百個關心氣候的人。也許是 Greta 讓他們關心的,關心之後有一件事可以做:把本地政府和這些百萬美元級的貸款接上,讓公交車從柴油換成電動。

這是一條行動路徑。Revkin 的批評落在這裡:光是製造警報、賺點選,價值不比看一部動作片高。而且它很容易把注意力帶偏,偏離真正的解決方案。

他舉了個特別小的例子。換掉柴油公交當然好,理由可能跟大家想的不太一樣。柴油公交真正的問題是空氣汙染,是沿街居民和乘客每天吸進去的那些顆粒物。這個理由本身就足夠充分,不需要掛靠在碳上。

理由不同,優先順序就不同,最後選出來的方案也不同。想減少颶風傷害,該做的是改佛羅里達的分割槽規則,那跟換公交完全是兩碼事。

電動車:每噸碳一千到兩千美元

Lex 把話題引到電動車上,請 Lomborg 展開。

Lomborg 先給了肯定:電動車是好車,最終會佔據駕駛的相當大份額,效率更高,將來大概也更便宜。特斯拉和馬斯克推動這件事,他認為是正面的,逼著通用、福特這些老廠認真對待。

然後他給出了經濟學家的賬。

問題是,電動車被神聖化了,成了"我為氣候做了什麼"的標誌。就眼下的氣候效益而言,它並不划算。

數字是這樣的:對大多數電動車來說,減掉一噸二氧化碳的成本大約是一千到兩千美元。挪威最高,能到五千美元。而在區域溫室氣體減排計劃(RGGI)裡,減一噸碳大概只要十四美元。

同樣一筆錢,本來可以減掉幾十噸,現在只減了一噸。他不認為這是技術判斷,這是符號效應:因為太聚焦在電動車上,所以願意為它付這個溢價。

還有一個反直覺的資料。美國 89% 的電動車車主,家裡另外還有一輛燃油車,用於長途。所以電動車通常被當成第二輛車,跑短途。早先的假設是電動車跑得跟普通車差不多,實際資料顯示,它跑的里程往往不到普通車的一半。

這就削弱了減排效果。一輛車只有在替代了燃油里程的時候才減碳,如果它替代的是短途出行,賬就不一樣了。

更合理的用法在哪?Lomborg 說,在發展中國家城市的電動摩托。那些地方摩托車數量巨大,空氣汙染嚴重,日常通勤距離短,不用擔心續航,電池用量也小得多。同樣的補貼花在那裡,健康收益和碳收益都會高得多。

他還點了一下補貼的分配方向。很多國家的補貼是累退的:車越貴,補貼越多。結果是拿公共的錢,補貼很富裕的人買很大的特斯拉,在城裡轉。

那個電池比一輛普銳斯還重

Revkin 從另一個角度接這個話題。

他說自己很喜歡混合動力的階段。普銳斯(Prius)當年讓他覺得驚豔,能幹普通轎車的全部活,一加侖跑六十英里,沒有續航焦慮,因為車上還帶著發動機。他們家現在還有一輛。另外還繼承了他父親 2000 年的豐田 Sienna,一輛十萬英里的老麵包車,專門用來幹普銳斯幹不了的事,比如拉東西去垃圾場。

他說自己很期待一個完全電氣化的交通世界,也覺得馬斯克當年做的事很酷。最早那批車像法拉利一樣流線,他看了覺得有意思。他提到一個規律:新技術的早期總是由有錢的市場來驗證,他不反對這個。特斯拉真正帶來的貢獻是把整個行業推醒了,通用和福特意識到這是真事,紛紛下場。

然後他把話鋒轉到分配和材料上。

如果要做大規模建設,公平問題躲不開。誰真正在用汽車?Jigar Shah 那個貸款專案想貸給的物件裡,就有 Uber 車隊。開網約車的人才是真正需要電動車的人,他們一天跑幾百公里,油錢佔收入的一大塊。Grist 最近一篇報道提到,特斯拉的銷售大多集中在高階,六七萬美元一輛。

他還舉了電動悍馬(Hummer)的例子。那個資料他記不太準,但印象很深:那輛車的電池包,重量超過一整輛普銳斯。

材料的問題跟著來了。鈷從哪來,鋰從哪來。Revkin 說他不反對建這個產業,但必須誠實地承認,這是一場新的資源爭奪,性質跟二十世紀初的石油爭奪類似,那些開採地的影響也得算進賬裡。如果最後造出來是一堆給富人開的巨型悍馬,這筆賬就更難看了。

他的落點不在"要不要做",在"激勵放在哪兒"。同樣一筆錢,可以買一輛高階轎車,也可以換來一支網約車車隊的電動化、一批電動公交、一批電動摩托。碳收益、空氣收益、交通公平收益,三者不是一回事,只能選一個方向。

經濟學家會先問的那個問題

Lex 拋了個大問題:經濟學家、氣候科學家、跑氣候口的記者,看世界的方式差在哪?強項是什麼,盲點是什麼?

Lomborg 承認自己不是科班出身,但願意代表經濟學這邊說話。

他給的核心差異很樸素:經濟學家先問"這要花多少錢,能換來多少效果",把"這讓我顯得多有道德"放在後面。

電動車就是活例子。它是一場關於"我關心環境"的儀式,還是一次真實的減排?答案取決於每噸碳的成本,而這個數字在大多數市場裡高得離譜。用同樣的錢,本來能買幾十倍的效果。

他舉了一個他自己很看重的案例:壓裂技術(fracking)。美國從燒煤轉向燒氣,因為氣變得極便宜。天然氣發電的排放大約是煤的一半。這一次轉換減掉的碳排放,比幾乎任何單項政策都多。他的推論是,應該想辦法讓世界其他地方也去壓裂,因為它便宜,便宜的東西會被採用。

這個案例把兩種思維方式的差別攤開了。氣候政策的直覺是"限制、懲罰、禁掉壞東西";經濟學的直覺是"讓好東西變便宜,人自然會用"。後者不需要人每天早上醒來提醒自己要環保,它靠價格自己跑。

這種思維也有它自己的盲點。把所有問題壓成一個成本效益比,容易漏掉那些無法定價的東西:物種、景觀、一個社群幾百年的連續性。Revkin 那套"脆弱性"的框架,本質上是在補這個洞。他在乎的是具體的人有沒有在具體的河邊蓋房子,總量最優排在這件事後面。

記者的盲點又是另一種。Revkin 自己承認了:他用了十五年才看見腳下那塊地。新聞業的節奏是當天、本週、這個季度,氣候的時間尺度是幾十年。報道一件正在慢速發生的事,天然吃虧。

三個人坐在一起,各自的短板剛好被另外兩個補上一塊。經濟學家問"這划算嗎",科學家問"這是真的嗎",記者問"這事落在誰身上"。一個問題少了任何一個角度,都會偏。

該做的事,其實都不大

兩個人從頭到尾都在往同一個方向推:把氣候從"信不信"和"末日不末日"這兩場戲裡拽出來,放回到一堆具體的、能算賬、能動手的事情上。

Revkin 反覆說的那句"它給了你更多行動點",是整場對話裡最實用的一句話。脆弱性是具體的地理、具體的規範、具體的建築高度。它比二氧化碳好下手,因為它在你家街區,在你所在城市的議會,在一條可以明天就改的規則裡。

Lomborg 反覆說的那句"我們也該記得其他問題",也在提醒優先順序本身值得被討論。同一個美元,投在碳上還是投在抗災上,救的人不一樣。

60% 那個數字最後落在了這裡。它讓人癱瘓,癱瘓就動不了,動不了就什麼都做不成。對氣候議題最不利的力量,來自把它變成一場無法參與的末日敘事,而不是否認它的人。

至於讀者能拿走什麼,下面這幾條是這場對話裡可以直接用的。

  • 把"我信不信氣候在變"這種問題換成"我所在地最脆弱的那個點在哪"。山洪、熱浪、內澇、老化的電網,找出來,那才是你能推動改變的地方。
  • 看到任何一項氣候政策,先在心裡做一次除法:它一年減多少噸碳,花多少錢。這個數字會用一種很冷靜的方式告訴你優先順序。
  • 如果你在關注電動車,盯住兩個關鍵變數:它是否替代了真實的燃油里程,以及家裡是否已經有第二輛車。這兩個數字決定了它到底減了多少碳。
  • 評價一個氣候發聲者時,看他的輸出裡有沒有"下一步做什麼"。只有警報沒有路徑的,價值接近於零;有路徑但需要耐心的,才是真的在推進事情。
  • 如果你是記者、博主、教師,警惕把複雜問題包裝成一對一的衝突。衝突好傳播,它會擠掉真正需要被討論的技術細節。
  • 在本地政策場景裡,優先支援那些見效快、成本低、附帶收益多的動作:柴油公交改電動、建築規範更新、洪泛區限建。它們在碳賬上不起眼,在人的安全賬上分量很重。
  • 給長期方案留出時間。任何需要三十年、五十年的東西,在"十二年後就完了"的框架裡都活不下來。把時間尺度當回事,是參與這個議題的前提。
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Lex Fridman Podcast #339 – Climate Change Debate: Bjørn Lomborg and Andrew Revkin Machine transcription by Qwen3-ASR 0.6B (MLX, local, Apache-2.0). May contain recognition errors. The following is a conversation with Bjorn Lomberg and Andrew Refkin on the topic of climate change. It is framed as a debate, but with the goal of having a nuanced conversation, talking with each other, not at each other. I hope to continue having debates like these, including on controversial topics. I believe in the power of conversation to bring people together, not to convince one side or the other, but to enlighten both with the insights and wisdom that each hold. Bjorn Lomberg is the president of Copenhagen Consensus Think Tank and author of False Alarm, Cool It, and Skeptical Environmentalist. Please check out his work at Lomberg dot com that includes his books, articles, and other writing. Andrew Refkin is one of the most respected journalists in the world on the topic of climate. He has been writing about global environmental change and risk for more than thirty years, twenty of it at the New York Times. Please check out his work in the link tree that includes his books, articles, and other writing. And now a quick two second mention of his sponsor. Check them out in the description. It's the best way to support this podcast. We got A Sleep for Naps, Linux for Linux, Inside Tracker for biological data, and Onit for supplements. Choose wisely, my friends. And now the full ad reads. As always, no ads in the middle. I hate those. I try to make this interesting, but if you skip them, please still check out our sponsors. I enjoy their stuff, maybe you will too. This episode is sponsored by an old and favorite sponsor of mine that brings so much joy to my heart. A sleep and its new Pod Three mattress. They recently launched this new generation of mattress. It's it's amazing. It's a source of so much pleasure for me. I know it because when it's gone, I miss it. I remember how much joy brings to my world, whether that's through a short power nap or a great night sleep. Warm blanket, cold bed surface with the rain gently falling outside. I'll even sometimes take a drink of coffee right before, and I pass off for twenty minutes and I wake up a new human being. I don't know why that works. I don't know if everyone enjoys naps as much as I do, but they work for me, and sometimes it can make the difference between a mind that is cynical and is really struggling with life in the world to a mind that is open to the possibilities and the beauty of the world. I do that on an A Sleep bed. Check it out and get special holiday savings of up to four hundred dollars when you go to a sleep dot com slash lex. This episode is also brought to you by Linux, Linux virtual machines. Why is it that my heart fills with joy anytime I think about Linux and the great provider of cloud Linux systems that is Linux? If you need to do any kind of compute, just the interface is super easy to use, it's super reliable, easy to monitor. There is tech support, of course, and that tech support is not just every once in a while or whenever they feel like it. It's always twenty four seven three sixty five real human beings, just incredible. Everything is clear. Everything is easy to use. The world runs on Linux. We're just a bunch of human biological systems having fun with our little pursuits and daily habits and rituals and so on, but all of that, just like fish swim in water, humans in this modern twenty first century technological age are swimming in compute. That makes almost no sense, but in a way it does, and you may make sense of it if you visit linux dot com slash lex for free credit. This show is also brought to you by Inside Tracker, a favorite sponsor, a favorite service that paints a beautiful painting that previews the future because in the future, my friends, all the recommendations, all the wisdom, the advice, the mentorship. You will need about the future trajectory of your life, whether that's lifestyle, health, diet, medical—all of it. I think all that will come from your body. And Inside Tracker collects data from your body through blood tests. It's getting blood data, DNA data, fitness tracker data—all of that to make recommendations. This is what the future will be like. Obviously, it has to be done in a way that preserves the privacy and respects your ownership of the data. But outside of that, once that is done and that's a must. Once that is done, then the recommendations that through machine learning. Based on this data will be so so much better than the twentieth century way of doing science, which is based on population data versus you, the beautiful unique flower of an individual that is you. Get special savings for a limited time when you go to insidetracker dot com slash lex. This episode is also brought to you by Onit, a nutrition supplement and fitness company. I first heard of Onit from Mister Bjorn Rogan, so it's kind of incredible to know that I am now doing an ad read for Onit on this very podcast. I take alpha brain every once in a while when I need a super boost for my mind when there is a long session. I've been doing more and more and more programming lately. And when there is a long session of a difficult programming task, or also sometimes really having to think during debugging, so those can be really exhausting. So sometimes I'll take an alpha brain to help me through that process. It is what it is, my friends. Those sessions can be super exhausting, but super gratifying. So in general, I don't take alpha brain every day, coffee in the morning, and just focus and focus and focus. I try to rely on the power of my mind, but sometimes it's definitely a big help. I enjoy it, like I said, it's a nutropic that helps support memory, mental speed, and focus. You can get a special discount on Alpha Brain at lexfreeman dot com slash onit. This is Alex Friedman podcast to support it. Please check out our sponsors in the description. And now dear friends, here is Bjorn Lomberg and Andrew Refkin. There is a spectrum of belief on the topic of climate change, and the landscape of that spectrum has probably changed over several decades. In one extreme, there is a belief that climate change is a hoax; it's not human caused. To pile on top of that, there is a belief that institutions, scientific, political, the media are corrupt and are kind of constructing this fabrication. That's one extreme, and then the other extreme. There is a level of alarmism about the catastrophic impacts of climate change that lead to the extinction of human civilization. So not just economic costs, hardship, suffering, but literally the destruction of the human species in the short term. Okay, so that's the spectrum, and I would love to find the center. And my sense is, and the reason I wanted to talk to the two of you, aside from the humility with which you approach this topic, is I feel like you are close to the center and are on different sides of that center. If it's possible to define the center, like there is a political center for center left and center right. Of course, it's very difficult to define, but can you help me define what the extremes are again as they have changed over the years, what they are today, and where is the center? Oh boy, well in a way on this issue, I think there is no center except in this. If you are looking on social media or if you are looking on television, there are people who are trying to fabricate the idea of there is a single question, and that's the first mistake. We are developing a new relationship with the climate system, and we're rethinking our energy systems, and those are very disconnected in so many ways. The connector around climate change, but the first way to me to overcome this idea of there is this polarized universe around this issue is to step back and say, "Well, what is this actually?" And when you do, you realize it's kind of an uncomfortable collision between old energy norms. And a growing awareness of how how the planet works—that you know if you keep adding gases that are invisible—it's the bubbles in beer. If you keep adding that to the atmosphere because it accumulates, that will change everything. It is changing everything for thousands of years. It's already happening. What do you mean by bubbles in beer? CO two carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas. Why beer? Because I like beer. It's also in Coca-Cola. You were talking about cola before, and so it's innocuous. We grew up with this idea is CO two unless you are trapped in a room suffocating. Is an innocuous gas. It's plant food, it's beer bubbles, and the idea we can swiftly transition to a world where that gas is a pollutant, regulated, tamp down from the top. Is is fantastical, you know having looked at this for thirty five years. I brought along one of my tokens. This is my nineteen eighty eight cover story on global warming. The greenhouse effect discovered nineteen eighty eight. Jim Hansen, the famous American climate scientist, really he stimulated this article by doing this dramatic testimony in a Senate committee that summer in May actually spring late spring. It was a hot day and it got headlines and this was the result. But it's complicated. Look what we were selling on the back cover. What you see is when you hit tobacco cigarettes, tobacco. Yeah, you know looking back at my own career on the climate question, it's no longer a belief fight over is global warming real or not. You say well, what kind of energy future do you want? That's a very different question than. Stop global warming, and when you look at climate actually, I had this learning journey on my reporting, where I started out with this as the definition of the problem. You know the seventies and eighties pollution was changing things that were making things bad. So really focusing on the greenhouse effect and the pollution. But what I missed the big thing that I missed of the first fifteen years of my reporting from nineteen eighty eight through about two thousand seven. When I was that period, I was at the New York Times in the middle there. Was that we're building vulnerability to climate hazards at the same time. So climate is changing, but we're changing too. And we where we where we are here in Austin, Texas is a great example. Flash flood alley, named in the nineteen twenties west of here. Everyone forgot about flash floods, built these huge developments. You know along these river basins, then one side starts saying global warming, global warming, and the other side is not recognizing that we built willfully, greedily. Vulnerability in places of utter hazard. Same things played out in Pakistan and in Fort Myers, Florida. If you and you start to understand that we're creating a landscape of risk, as climate is changing, then that it feels oh my god that's more complex right, but it also gives you more action points. It's like okay well we know how to. Design better. We know that today's coast won't be tomorrow's coast. Work with that, and then let's chart an energy future at the same time. So the story became so different. It didn't become like you know a story you could package into a magazine article, or the like, and it just led me to a whole different way of even my journalism changed over time. So I don't fight the belief disbelief fight anymore. I think it's actually kind of a waste. I don't it's a good way to start the discussion because that's where we're at. But this isn't about to me going forward from where we're at. Isn't about tipping that balance back toward the center so much as finding opportunities to just do something about this stuff. What do you think Bjorn? Do you agree that it's a multiple questions in one in one big question? Do you think it's possible to find the center? Where is the center? I think it's wonderful to hear Andy sort of unconstruct the whole conversation and say we should be worried about different things, and I think that's exact or we should be worried about things in a different way that makes it much more useful. I think that's exactly the right way to think about it. On the other hand, that was also where you kind of ended. We are stuck in a place where this very much is the conversation right now, and and so I think in in one sense, certainly the people who used to say, "Oh, this is not happening," they're very very small and diminishing crowd, and certainly not right. But on the other hand, I think to an increasing extent, we've gotten into a world where a lot of people really think this is the you know the end of the times. If if you so the OECD did a new survey of all OECD countries and it's shocking. So it shows that sixty percent of all people in the OECD, so the rich world, believes that global warming will likely or very likely lead to the extinction of mankind. And and and that's that's scary in a very very clear way because look if this really is true if if global warming is this meteor hurtling towards Earth, and you know we're going to be destroyed in twelve years or whatever the number is today, then clearly we should care about nothing else. We should just be focusing on making sure that that asteroid get you know we should send up Bruce Willis and get get this done with. But that's not the way it is. This is not actually what the UN Climate Panel tells us or anything else. So I think it's not so much about arguing against the people who are saying it's a it's a hoax. That's not really where I am. I don't think that's where Andy or really where the conversation is. But it is a question of sort of pulling people back from this end of the world conversation because it really skews our way that we think about problems. Also, you know if you really think this is the end of time and you know you only have twelve years, nothing that can only work in thirteen years can be considered. And the reality of most of what we're talking about on climate and certainly our vulnerability, certainly our energy system is going to be half to a full century. And so when you talk to people and say, "Well, but we're going to you know we're really going to go a lot more renewable in next half century," they look at you like, "But that's what thirty eight years too late." And I get that, but so so I think in in your question, what I am trying to do and I would imagine that's true for you as well is to try to pull people away from this precipice and this end of the world, and then open it up. And I think Andy did that really well by saying, "Look, there are so many different sub conversations and we need to have all of them and we need to be respectful of of some of these are right in the in the sort of standard media kind of way, but some of them are very very wrong and it actually means that we end up doing much less good both on climate, but also on all the other problems the world faces. " Oh yeah, and it disempowers people too. Those who believe this then just sit back. Even in Adam McKay's movie, the Don't Look Up movie, there was that sort of nihilist crowd for those who've seen it who just say, "You know fuck this." We're and and a lot of people have that when when something is too big. And it just paralyzes you as opposed to giving you these action points. And the other thing is, I hate I hate it when economists are right about stuff like the. I it doesn't happen all that often though. No, no, there are these phrases like I never knew the words path dependency until probably ten years ago in my reporting, and it basically says you are in a system. The things around you, how we pass laws, the brokenness of the Senate—you know—that those are we don't have a climate crisis in America. We have a decision crisis as it comes to how the government works or doesn't work. So but those big features of our landscape are. It's path dependency. When you when you screw in a light bulb, even if it's an LED light bulb, it's going into a one hundred and thirteen hundred twenty year old fixture because and actually that fixture is almost designed. If you look at like nineteenth century gas fixtures, they had the screw in thing. So we're like on these long path dependencies when it comes to energy and stuff like that. That you don't just quickly transition a car fleet. A car built today will last forty years. It'll end up in Mexico, sold on a used car, et cetera, et cetera. And so this there is no quick fix, even if if we're true that where things are coming to an end in thirteen years or twelve years or eight years. So most people don't believe that climate change is a hoax. So they believe that there is an increase. There is a global warming of a few degrees in the next century, and then maybe debate about what the number of the degrees is. And do most people believe that it's human caused at this time in in the in this history of discussion of climate change? So is that the center still? Like is there still debate on this? Yale University, the climate communication group there for like thirteen years has done this Six Americas study where they've charted pretty carefully in ways that I really find useful. What people believe, and we could talk about the word belief in the context of science too. But and they've identified kind of six kinds of us. There is from dismissive to alarmed, and with lots of bubbles in between. I think some of those bubbles in between are mostly disengaged people who don't really deal with the issue. And they've shown a drift for sure. There is much more majority now at the alarmed or or engaged bubbles than just the dismissive bubble. There is a durable like with vaccination and all lots of other issues. There is a durable never anything. Belief group, but on on the reality that humans are contributing to climate change. Most Americans when you ask ask them, and it also depends on how you write your survey, you know. Think there is a component globally. I mean when you when you ask around, I mean and and this is you know if you hear this story from the media of twenty years, of course that's what you will believe, and it also happens to be true. That is what the science I think you know it's perhaps worth saying, and it's a little depressing that you always have to say, but I think it's worth saying that I think we both really do accept you know the UN Climate Panel science and you know there is absolutely global warming. It is an issue, and it's probably just worthwhile to get it out of the way. It's an issue and it's caused by humans. It's caused by humans, yeah. But vulnerability—the losses that are driven by climate-related events—still predominantly are caused by humans, but on the ground. It's where we build stuff, where we settle, Pakistan. In nineteen sixty, I just looked these data up. There were forty million people in Pakistan today. There are two hundred twenty five million. And a big chunk of them are still rural. They live in the floodplain of the amazing Indus River, which comes down from the Himalayas. Extraordinary five thousand year history of agriculture there, but when you put two hundred million people in harm's way, and this doesn't say anything about the bigger questions about. Oh shame on Pakistan for having more people. It just says the reality is. The losses that we see in the news, are and and the science finds this even though there is a new weather attribution group. Wx risk on Twitter. This does pretty good work on how much of what just happened was some tweak in the storm from global warming from CO two changing weather. But and the media glom onto that, as I did you know in the eighties nineties two thousands. But the and the reports also have a section on by the way the vulnerability that was built in this region was a was a big driver of of loss. So discriminating between loss. Change in what's happening on the ground and change in the climate system is never solely about CO two. In fact, Lauren's Bower. B O W E R has for I first wrote on his work in 2010 in the New York Times and basically in 2010 there was no sign in the data of climate change. Driving disasters, climate change is up here. Disasters are on the ground. They depend on how many people are in the way, how much stuff you built in the way. And so far we've done so much of that so fast in the 20th century particularly. That it completely dominates. It makes it hard impossible to discriminate how much of that disaster. Was from the change in weather from global warming. So a function of greenhouse gases to human suffering is is unclear. That's and that's very much in our control theoretically. I mean the the point I think is is exactly right that you know if you look at the hurricane Ian that went through Florida, you have a situation where Florida went from what six hundred thousand houses in 1940 to seventeen million houses. Sorry, ten million houses so so seventeen times more. Over what a period of eighty years, of course you're going to have what yeah yeah yeah you're going to have lots more damage and many of these houses have now been built on you know places where you probably shouldn't be building. And and so I think a lot of scientists are very focused on saying can we measure whether global warming had an impact, which is an interesting science question. I think it's it's very implausible that eventually we won't be able to say it has an impact. But the real question it seems to me is if we actually want to make sure that people are less harmed in the future. What are the levers that we can control? And it turns out that the CO two lever doing something about climate is an incredibly difficult and slightly inefficient way of trying to help these people in the future. Whereas of course zoning, making sure that you have better housing rules. What is regulations? That that you maybe you know don't have people building in the flash flood. What was it called flash flood alley flash flood alley way yeah yeah. It's it's just simple stuff and and because we're so focused on this one issue, we sort of it almost feels sacrilegious to to talk about these other things that are much more in our power and that we can do something about much quicker and that would help a lot more people. So I think this is this is going to be a large part of the the whole conversation. You know yes climate is a problem, but it's not the only problem and there are many other things where we can actually have a much much bigger impact at much lower cost. Maybe we should also remember those. Can you steal man the case of Greta, who's a representative of alarmism, that we need that kind of level of alarmism for people to pay attention and to think about climate change. So you said the singular view. Is is not the correct way to look at climate change just the emissions, but for us to have a discussion, shouldn't there be somebody who's. Really raising the concern, can you steal man the case of for alarmism essentially or is there a better term than alarmism? Communication of like holy shit, we should be thinking about this. So I think yeah I totally understand why Greta Thunberg is doing what she's doing. I I have great respect for it because if you know I I look at a lot of kids growing up and they're basically being told you're not going to reach adulthood or at least not you're not going to get very far into adulthood. And that of course you know this is the meteor hurtling towards Earth and then this is the only thing we should be focusing on. I understand why she's making that argument. I I think it's at the end of the day it's incorrect and I'm sure we'll get around to talking about that. And one of the things is of course that her whole generation. You know I can understand why they're saying you know if if we're going to be dead in 12 years why would I want to study that you know why would I really care about anything. So so I totally want to sort of pull Greta and many others out of this end of the world fear. But I totally get why she's doing it. I think she's done a service in the sense that she's gotten more people to talk about climate. And that's good because we need to have this discussion. I think it's unfortunate and this is just what happens in almost all policy discussions that they end up being you know sort of discussions from from the extreme groups because it's just more fun on media. To to have sort of the the total deniers and the and the people who say we're going to die tomorrow and it sort of becomes that discussion that's more you know it's more sort of a mud wrestling fight. So would you think the mud wrestling fight is not useful or is useful for communication for effective science communication on one of the platforms that you're a fan of which is Twitter. Yeah I wrote a piece recently on my sustain what column saying if you go on there. For the entertainment value of seeing those knocked down fights, I guess that's useful if that's what you're looking for. The thing I found Twitter invaluable for, but it's a practice. It's just like the workouts you do or you know. It's how do I put this tool to use today thinking about energy sufficient energy action in poor communities how how do I put this tool today learning about what really happened with Ian the hurricane you know who was most at risk. And how would you build back build forward better I hate build back. Or you can go there and just watch it as an entertainment value that's not going to get the world anywhere. You don't think entertainment I wouldn't call it entertainment but giving voice to the extremes isn't a productive way forward. It seems to. You know to push back against the main narrative it seems to work pretty well in the American system we we think. Politics is totally broken but maybe that works that like oscillation back and forth. You need a Greta and you need somebody that pushes back against Greta to get everybody's. Just to to get everybody's attention, the the fun of battle, over time. Creates progress. Well and this gets to the you know people who focus on communication science I'm not a scientist I write about this stuff. If you're going to try to prod someone with a warning like like this is three years apart nuclear winter. Nuclear winter we'll talk about that global warming well yeah we'll talk about it but look at look at that you know this is three years apart in the covers of magazine yeah and but then you have to say to what end if you're not. Directing people to a basket of things to do and if you if you want political change then it would be to you know support a politician if you want energy access it would be to. Look at this three hundred seventy billion dollars the American government just put into play on climate and say well how can my community benefit from that and and I've been told over and over again by people in government. Jigar Shah who heads this giant loan program the energy department, he says what I need now is like 19,500 people who are worried about climate change, maybe because Greta. Got them worried, but here's the thing you could do you can connect your local government right now with these multi million dollar loans so you can have electric buses instead of diesel buses. And that's an action pathway. So without so you know alarm for the sake of getting attention or clicks. To me is not any more valuable than watching an action movie. And and and again I think also it very easily ends up sort of skewing our conversation about what are the actual solutions. You know because yes it's great to to get rid of the diesel bus but probably not for the reason people think it's because diesel buses are really polluting in the you know in the air pollution sense. Right that that is why you should get rid of them. And again if you really want it to help people for instance with hurricanes you should have better you know. Rules in zoning in Florida, which is a very different outcome. So so the the mud wrestling fight also gets our attention diverted towards solutions that seem. Easy fun you know sort of the electric car is a great example of this the electric car somehow become almost the sign that I care and I'm really going to do something about climate. Of course look electric cars are great and they're probably part of the solution and they will actually cut carbon emissions somewhat. But they are an incredibly. Ineffective way of cutting carbon emissions right now they're fairly expensive you have to subsidize them a lot and they still emit quite a bit of CO two both because the batteries get produced and because they usually run off a power that's not. Strong words from your love. Okay let's go there let's go electric cars okay educate us. On the pros and cons of electric cars in this complex picture of of climate change what do you think of the efforts of Tesla and Elon Musk on pushing forward the electric car revolution. So look electric cars are great I I don't own a I don't own a car but you know I've been driving there you go socially signaling. Yeah but yeah I've I've we're in Texas okay blue in here so it's not like I'm in any way a virtuous guy on that path but but you know look. They're great cars and eventually electric cars will take over a significant part of our driving and that's good because they're more they're more effective they're probably also going to be cheaper. There's a lot of good opportunities with them but it's because they've become reified as this thing that you do to fix climate and right now they're not really all that great for climate. They you need a lot of. Extra material into the batteries which is very polluting and it's also it emits a lot of CO two a lot of electric cars are bought as second cars in the US. So we used to think that they were driven almost as much as as a regular car it turns out that they are more likely driven less than half as much as as regular cars. So you know 89 of all Americans who have an electric car also have a real car that they use for the long trips and then they use the electric car for short trips. 89 89 yeah. So so the the point here is that that it has it's one of these things that become more sort of a virtuous signal thing and again look once electric cars are sufficiently cheap that people will want to buy them that's great and and they will you know do some good for the environment. But in reality what we should be focusing on is instead of getting people electric cars in rich countries where because we're subsidizing typically in in many countries it's you actually get a. A sort of sliding scale you get more subsidy the the more expensive it is we sort of subsidize this to very rich people to buy very large Teslas to drive around them. Whereas what we should be focusing on is perhaps getting. Electric motorcycles in third world developing cities where they would do a lot more good you know they can actually go as far as you need there's no you know worry about running out of and they would obviously they're much much more polluting just air pollution wise and they're much cheaper and they use very little battery. So it's it's about getting our senses right but that but the electric car is not is not the it's not a conversation about is it technically a really good or is it a somewhat good. Insight it's more like it's a virtuous signal so just you know I'm I work with economists I'm actually not an economist but I like to say I claim my kind of am but but you know the the fundamental point is we would say well how much do you how much does it cost to cut a ton of CO two. And the answer is for most electric cars we're paying in the order of a thousand two thousand you know Norway they they pay up to what five thousand dollars that they're about. You know huge amount for one ton of CO two you can right now cut a ton of CO two for about what is it fourteen dollars on the Reggie or something. You can regional greenhouse yes additional. So you can basically cut it really really cheaply why would we not want to cut dozens and dozens of tons of CO two for the same price instead of just cutting one ton and the simple answer is we only do that because we're so focused on electric. Come interrupt typical European come here in Texas tell me I can't have my Ford F one fifty but now you can have your F one fifty Lightning. That's true I'm I'm just joking. But what do you think about electric cars if you could just link on that moment and this particular element of helping reduce emissions. Well you talked about the middle in the beginning and you know I loved moving to the hybrid the Prius was fantastic it did everything our other sedan did but you know it was 60 miles per gallon. Performance and you don't have range anxiety because it has a regular engine too. We still have a Prius we also inherited my dad dear dad's year two thousand Toyota Sienna which is an old hundred thousand mile minivan. And we use it all the time to do the stuff we can't do in the in the Prius like what taking stuff to the dump. Oh you mean in terms of the size of the vehicle yeah size and just you know convenience factor for a bigger vehicle. I would love a fully electrified. Transportation world it's kind of exciting I think what Elon did with Tesla I remember way way back in the day when the first models were coming out there were very slick Ferrari style. Cars and I thought this is cool and you know there's a history of privileged markets testing new technologies and I'm all for that. I think it's done a huge service prodding so much more R and D and you know once GM and Ford started to realize oh my god. This is a real phenomenon you know getting them in the game, there was that documentary who killed the electric car which seemed to imply that you know there was there were fights to keep this tammed down and it's it's fundamentally cleaner fundamentally better if. But then you have to manage these these bigger questions. If we're going to do a build out here, how do you make it fair? As you were saying, who actually uses transport cars? And Jigar Shah, that guy at the energy department I mentioned who has all this money to give out. He he wants to give loans to. If you had an Uber fleet, those Uber drivers they're the ones who need electric cars. As as his work and and there was a recent story in Grist also. Said that most of the sales of Teslas are the high end of the market they're sixty eighty thousand dollar vehicles. Each like the the Hummer the electric Hummer I can't there was a data point on that. Astonishing data point the the battery in that Hummer weighs more than. I'd have to look it up. It weighs more than your Prius. Yeah I think it might have been a Prius. And think of the material costs there. Think of where that battery cobalt and the lithium. Where does this stuff come from? To build this stuff out, I'm all for it, but we have to be honest and clear about that's a new resource rush like the oil rush back in the early 20th century and and those impacts have to be figured out too. And if they're all big hummers for rich people. There's so many contrary arguments to that that I think we have to figure out a way we I don't like the word we I use it too much we all do but we all do. You usually refer when you say we we humans we society we government yeah there has to be some thought and attention put to where you put these incentives so that you get the best use of this technology for. For the carbon benefit for the conventional sooty pollution benefit, for the transportation benefit. Can can I step back and ask a sort of big question? We mentioned economics journalism. How does an economist and a climate scientist and a journalist that writes about climate see the world differently? What are the strengths and potential blind spots of each discipline? I mean that that's just sort of just so people may may be aware. I think you will fall into the economics camp a bit. There's climate scientists. And there's climate scientists adjacent people like who hang some of my best friends are climate scientists kind of which is I think where you fall in because you're a journalist you've been writing it so you're not completely in the trenches of doing the work. You're just step into the trenches every once in a while. So can can you speak to that maybe beyond like what's what does the world look like to an economist? Let's try to empathize with these beings that you know that unfortunately has fallen into the. Disreputable economics so so I think I think the the the main point that that I've been trying for a long time and I think that's also a little bit what Andy has been talking about for a very long time the whole conversation was about what does the science tell us is global warming real and and to me it's much more. What can we actually do? What are the policies that we can take and how effective are they going to be? So the conversation we just had about electric cars is a good example of how an economist think about look you got to. This is not a question about whether you feel morally virtuous or whether you know you can sort of display how much you care about the environment. This is about how much you actually ended up affecting the world and the honest answer is that electric cars right now in the next decade or so. Will have a fairly small impact and unfortunately right now at a very high cost because we're basically subsidizing these things at five or ten thousand dollars around the world per per car that that's just not it's not really sustainable but it's certainly not a very great way to cut carbon emissions. So I would be the kind of guy and economist would be the. Types of people who would say, "Is there a smarter way where you for less money, can for instance cut more CO two and the obvious answer is yes, that's what we've seen for instance with fracking, the the fact that the US went from a lot of coal to a lot of gas because gas became incredibly cheap because gas emits about half as much as as coal does when you use it for electric for power that basically cut more carbon emissions than pretty much any other single thing and we should get the rest of the world in some sense to frack because it's really cheap there are some

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