Carlin Economics and Science

Although there is little evidence for significant human impacts on climate, there is no credible evidence for human causation of extreme weather events, as I and many others have recently pointed out. Despite this, the US voted at a UN climate meeting in Doha, Qatar this week to establish a loss and damage mechanism under which developed countries would be responsible for losses supposedly resulting from extreme weather events in poor nations. The resolution was approved with the result that this is now an official UN position which would presumably be included in any future international climate agreement. There is reported to be a cap of $100 billion dollars per year on the total of such transfers.

I am not sure that US taxpayers, who might foot a significant portion of these international transfers if the US were to participate in such agreements with this provision, would be overly enthusiastic if they understood what the US and UN voted to approve.