To save the economy, let's first save the climate

Environmentalists are often seen as enemies of growth. However, if global warming threatens economic activity, the best protection of living standards will be a more environmentally friendly policy.

The campaign before the European elections and the results recorded on June 9 confirm this: environmental issues and climate change are not yet among the main priorities. It is true that environmentalists have not always been able to find the right method to reach voters: to talk about growth with people who are trying to make ends meet is to risk not being understood.

However, the proliferation of climate disasters, from floods in the north of France to drought in the south, encourages us to question old patterns of thinking. What until now was considered an unpleasant side effect of growth, simple  "negative externality" , as economists say, seems to be a big problem. More and more economists are addressing this topic, and the results of their research are becoming more and more alarming. (Gérard Horny, More on slate.fr)