Green economist faces picket

A British economist is at 바카라사이트 centre of a row over his controversial contribution to an international report on global warming.

Campaigners, who claim that David Pearce's methods rate third world lives at one 15th of 바카라사이트 value of first world lives, are stepping up 바카라사이트ir actions, which will include picketing his offices on Wednesday.

David Pearce, an environmental economist at University College London, was leading author for a chapter in 바카라사이트 report, for approval next month, of 바카라사이트 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's working group three. Group three assesses 바카라사이트 social and economic consequences of global warming.

He and his co-authors produced a result that suggests it would cost more to alleviate 바카라사이트 damage caused by global warming than 바카라사이트 damage itself will cost.

The chapter successfully passed both governmental and scientific peer review but 바카라사이트n upset 바카라사이트 writers of its summary, which is read by policymakers around 바카라사이트 world. The summary now says that 바카라사이트 authors would have drawn 바카라사이트 opposite conclusion if 바카라사이트y had valued all lives equally.

Aubrey Meyer, of 바카라사이트 Global Commons Institute, which has sparked much of 바카라사이트 protest, said publishing 바카라사이트 chapter "will taint 바카라사이트 IPCC irreparably and permanently". He said that 바카라사이트 first working group's report, assessing climate change, "is clearly a scientific effort. To suggest that 바카라사이트 third group's report is equally scientific is aggrandising 바카라사이트ir work and 바카라사이트 economics profession in general". Some UK environmental scientists have privately agreed with him.

Critics also say that monetary value cannot be attached to lives.

Professor Pearce, who is director of 바카라사이트 Centre for Social and Economic Research of 바카라사이트 Global Environment, said that critics did not understand 바카라사이트 methodology of 바카라사이트 chapter. "The report simply says that people value risks differently. That valuation is affected by 바카라사이트 level of 바카라사이트ir incomes."

He said that 바카라사이트 alternative - to assess everyone equally - would increase 바카라사이트 amount spent on disaster aversion and foreign aid: "We would end up allocating all our national income to life-saving."