Carbon Dioxide Emissions Economic Analysis Environmental Issues Essay

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Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Economic analysis environmental issues Carbon Dioxide Emissions Please address. Cost Benefits Risks Limitations Problems

Economic analysis: CO2 emissions

While there is a growing consensus regarding the need to reduce CO2 emissions in the atmosphere, there are also concerns about the potential economic costs of environmentally-friendly policies. In the long run, according to the EPA, the benefits which can be accrued in the long-term regarding "reduced risk to human health and welfare that results from lower emissions of greenhouse gases and less global warming and climate change" vastly outweigh the costs (Evaluating climate policy options, costs and benefits, 2013, EPA). In the long-term, lost productivity due to respiratory conditions from air pollution like asthma as well as the threat a number of industries are experiencing due to the effects of global warming should not be minimized (Evaluating climate policy options, costs and benefits, 2013, EPA). Extreme heat, more severe storms, a rise in water-borne illnesses due to increased levels of pathogens and bacteria are all risks posed by unabated CO2 emissions (Human health, 2013, EPA).

On a business level, shipments and daily transactions can be significantly impacted by severe storms and power outages, as was seen in the aftermath of weather events like Superstorm Sandy.
Chronic storms can permanently impact a number of agriculturally-related enterprises. Also, rising food prices (the result of global warming conditions such as frequent droughts or flooding) could significantly impact consumer buying power for other goods and services. And there are also specific industries harmed by global warming, spanning from everything from apparel makers to maple syrup (which requires specific meteorological conditions for the trees to produce the necessary sap correctly) to ski resorts.

However, some industries have fought attempts to limit CO2 admissions quite vociferously. Despite their much-touted creation of new, more fuel-efficient vehicles and hybrids, the U.S. auto industry has often resisted attempts to curb CO2 emissions, claiming this will result in job loss and higher costs for consumers. More fuel-efficient vehicles, the argument goes, are often….....

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