Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of
Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of
Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of
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70 S politics and governance<br />
Box 2.1. (continued)<br />
that <strong>the</strong> benefi ts <strong>of</strong> procrastination and <strong>the</strong> costs <strong>of</strong> disaster fall<br />
on<strong>to</strong> different generations without <strong>the</strong> possibility <strong>of</strong> some <strong>of</strong>fsetting<br />
benefi t by <strong>the</strong> accrual <strong>of</strong> more wealth. If economics is an<br />
unsatisfac<strong>to</strong>ry <strong>to</strong>ol, <strong>the</strong> law is little better. Indeed, Posner believes<br />
that “<strong>the</strong> legal pr<strong>of</strong>ession may even be increasing <strong>the</strong> probability<br />
<strong>of</strong> catastrophe” (p. 199). Improvement in this situation, in his view,<br />
will require “that a nontrivial number <strong>of</strong> lawyers” become scientifi<br />
cally literate, an interesting challenge (p. 203). Posner fur<strong>the</strong>r<br />
proposes o<strong>the</strong>r remedies, such as <strong>the</strong> establishment <strong>of</strong> a science<br />
court, a center for catastrophic-risk assessment, <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> fi scal<br />
<strong>to</strong>ols such as taxation and subsidies, increased regulation including<br />
<strong>the</strong> establishment <strong>of</strong> an international EPA, increased scrutiny <strong>of</strong><br />
research projects in high-risk areas, and greater police powers <strong>to</strong><br />
detect and control growing risks <strong>of</strong> terrorism.<br />
Posner’s recent concern about <strong>the</strong> rising potential for catastrophe<br />
is welcome and signifi cant. But it calls for some explanation.<br />
His voice and considerable infl uence have long been on <strong>the</strong><br />
o<strong>the</strong>r side <strong>of</strong> environment-related issues, encouraging his many<br />
infl uential readers <strong>to</strong> regard <strong>the</strong> market and wealth creation as <strong>the</strong><br />
primary standard for <strong>the</strong> law and public policy. He is a member<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> University <strong>of</strong> Chicago group, including Mil<strong>to</strong>n Friedman<br />
and Richard Epstein, who gave us <strong>the</strong> prevailing economic and<br />
legal philosophy that prized individual rights and <strong>the</strong> free-market<br />
ideology that have destroyed a great deal <strong>of</strong> our capacity for public<br />
responses <strong>to</strong> public problems. None<strong>the</strong>less, it will be important<br />
for legal scholars <strong>to</strong> sort out issues <strong>of</strong> law and liability in<br />
<strong>climate</strong>-change cases that resemble <strong>the</strong> <strong>to</strong>bacco cases. The human<br />
and property consequences <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> fossil fuels were known<br />
well in advance <strong>of</strong> efforts <strong>to</strong> reduce or mitigate <strong>the</strong>m. As with<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>to</strong>bacco cases, scientists have been warning us at least since<br />
<strong>the</strong> late 1970s in ever more insistent terms, and no one can ever<br />
legitimately plead that <strong>the</strong>y did not know <strong>the</strong> consequences <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong>ir actions.