Last week, I heard presentations from the chief climate person at the World Bank on the outlook for international agreement in Cancun, a Harvard economist on the national outlook under the new Congress, and an MIT systems dynamicist on an online model of climate change anybody can play, C-LEARN http://forio.com/...
On the afternoon of November 16, 2010, Andrew Steer, special envoy on climate change for the World Bank, spoke at Harvard about "Why Developing Countries Urgently Need a Global Climate Deal ... and Why They Shouldn't Wait for One.”
There was a small reception afterwards with wine and cheese. At six, Dr Steer was escorted to dinner. That happened on Oxford Street, northwest of Harvard Square.
At 7, on the other side of Harvard Yard, at John Harvard's Brew Pub on Dunster Street, an Intercollegiate Energy Social for the local Energy Clubs began. Invited clubs included the Babson Energy and Environment Club, Boston University Energy Club, Fletcher Energy Consortium, Harvard Business School Energy and Environment Club, Harvard Energy Journal Club, Harvard Kennedy School Energy and Environment Professional Interest Council, MIT Energy Club, MIT Sloan Energy & Environment Club, and Tufts Energy Forum. The social was organized by the Collegiate Energy Association http://collegeenergy.org
What would have happened if Dr Steer had attended the Energy Social? Should the World Bank have gone to the brew pub?
Back when Utah had a governor who thought there was such a thing as air pollution and global warming, the state funded a study by Synapse Energy Economics, Inc, with the help of the Harvard School of Public Health. It estimated, predictably, that each year over 2 billion dollars in health and water costs are wasted, and approximately 200 lives lost due to coal plant power production in Utah. Not to mention that other "externality" to coal power, global warming.
Wow! Our state funded study showed us that that nasty air we see every winter is bad for us? It's time for us all to come out for energy efficiency and renewable energy power generation, right? Governor Herbert?
Of course not, this is Utah, and what happened next (below the fold) was also as predictable as it is sad.