Analysis & Opinions - PBS NEWSHOUR

Don't Be Fooled. CO2 Emissions Still Tied to Economic Growth

| May 6, 2016

Making Sen$E

You can call it my pet peeve or even my obsession, but whenever I read about the claimed "decoupling" of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and economic growth, I get annoyed. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines decoupling as "eliminating the interrelationship" between two processes. When a caboose is decoupled from a train, it stops moving altogether.

Decoupling is the wrong expression because the interrelationship between CO2 emissions and economic growth has certainly not been eliminated. A better metaphor, though less linguistically appealing, would be a "slipping clutch." The engine continues to transmit power, and as a result the driveshaft continues to rotate, but with less velocity than when the clutch was new....

Continue reading: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/making-sense/column-dont-be-fooled-co2-emissions-still-tied-to-economic-growth/

For more information on this publication: Please contact Harvard Project on Climate Agreements
For Academic Citation: Stavins, Robert N..“Don't Be Fooled. CO2 Emissions Still Tied to Economic Growth.” PBS NEWSHOUR, May 6, 2016.

The Author

Robert N. Stavins

Robert N. Stavins

  • Director, Harvard Project on Climate Agreements
  • A.J. Meyer Professor of Energy & Economic Development
  • Member of the Board, Belfer Center
  • Director, Harvard Environmental Economics Program
  • Chair, Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Group
  • Chairman, Ph.D. Programs in Public Policy and Political Economy & Government
  • Co-Chair, Kennedy School–Harvard Business School Joint Degree Programs
Expertise:
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