Professor Glaeser likes Professor Kahn's book:Professor Kahn’s book provides a helpful middle ground between the extreme climate Cassandras and those who snort at climate change. He believes that human ingenuity will out, but at least three things need go to right for his more optimistic prognosis to come to pass.
First, the impact of global warming has to take the form of gradual change rather than sudden catastrophic events — such as massive storms or droughts. It is much easier to adapt to a multidecade phenomenon than to an explosion that appears out of nowhere.
Second, the planet needs to accommodate major immigration. Americans live in a large nation with a wide range of climates and we can adapt by moving, but what about the residents of small countries near the equator, like Singapore or Burundi? Unless borders become more porous, they may well be trapped.
Third, areas with weak governments are going to need to get richer and develop more competent public sectors that can deal with the crisis.
via economix.blogs.nytimes.com
Note: I deleted all of fawning- over-Kahn passages (i.e., "Professor Kahn himself is responsible for some for the best research showing that rich countries deal with disasters better than poor countries.") Gag me with a spoon!
