Climate Wars: Nick Stern Threatens U.S. With Trade Boycott
Ben Webster
The United States will be banned from selling goods to many countries if it continues to shirk its promise to cut greenhouse gas emissions, according to the world’s leading climate change economist.
In an interview with The Times, Lord Stern of Brentford said that nations that were taking strong action on emissions could start imposing restrictions on “dirty” US exports by 2020.
Lord Stern, who advises several G20 leaders and is one of the key players in the international negotiations seeking a deal on emissions, made his comments ten days before the annual United Nations climate change conference opens in Cancun, Mexico. They reflect the feeling in many countries that a lack of action on emissions in the US is delaying progress in the talks.
…
Lord Stern said that Europe and the Far East (sic) were forging ahead of the US in controlling emissions and switching to low carbon sources of energy. They would not tolerate having their industries undermined by American competitors that had not paid for their emissions. “If you are charging properly for carbon and other people are not, you will take that into account,” he said. “Many of the more forward-looking people in the US are thinking about this. If they see a danger on the trade front to US exports that could influence public discussion.”
Asked what type of US products could face restrictions, Lord Stern said: “Aircraft, clearly, some cars, machine tools — it’s not simply what’s in the capital good, it’s what kind of processes the capital good is facilitating.”
Lord Stern said that a complete ban on some goods was also possible. He said the American people should overcome their historical antipathy to taxation and accept that emissions needed to be controlled either through a tax or a trading scheme.
Full story (subscription required)
Discover more from Watts Up With That?
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Smokey says:
November 19, 2010 at 10:51 am
Lord Stern is a foot soldier in the Soros army
But, sincerely, I do not understand why a man with so many billions want to rule the world?
To have more money?…perhaps he will buy immortality? I don’t get it. He is meddling in many countries with his “Open Society” thing. All we want human beings is having the right to live and die, to be rich or be poor (this is a right too!). Can anyone of you, much more educated and intelligent than me explain to me such a behavior?
Anyway, no one has the right to interfere in other peoples’ lives unless they voluntarily accept it: That’s the fair play, anything else is conspiracy.
For you Brits … What is the difference between Lord Stern and a common South American form of flora?
One is Pampas Grass, the other is a …
He’s just another in a long line of “The wisest fool in Christendom”. Starting with James VI we have had a fair number over the years. Treat him with the contempt he deserves.
In view of Stern’s ideological fervour was he really the right person to prepare an unbiased report ?
I think it is instead time to boycott UK.
The economies that do the Greenie bidding won’t be able to afford US goods
Lord Stern is listed as an advisor to IDEAcarbon whoe website advertises.
“IDEAcarbon is an independent and professional provider of ratings, research and strategic advice on carbon finance. Our services are designed to provide leading financial institutions, corporations, governments, traders and developers with unbiased intelligence and analysis of the factors that affect the pricing of carbon assets.
The IDEAcarbon team are leading experts in the carbon and energy markets. We combine policy and carbon market analysis with proprietary tools for the analysis of carbon project credit risk. Our techniques assist our clients to manage and mitigate risk in today’s uncertain global carbon markets.”
He brings to the Climate change debate a similar independent contributuon as does Pachauri.
So he has a degree from TU Berlin? Honorary, be sure TU or”Tango Uniform” has a bit of a different meaning in the USA.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=tango%20uniform
however it aptly describes what would happen to the World economy…
Sometimes, just sometimes (OK well rather a lot this last year) it is extremely embarrassing having to admit you’re British – I do apologise for my countrymen – from the CRU non-scientists to the ludicrous bureaucrats in the various whitewashing committees to the idiotic so-called economists like Lord Stern. If with a wave of the wand I could get them off the tax-payer funded payroll I would dearly love to do so, in fact I’d go further and try them all for treason, they certainly don’t have the best interests of the UK at heart.
Good! Let’s retaliate by blocking their imports, what’ll happen is that those goods will start being made here again lowering our unemployment.
Stern is one of the idiots the UK has to thank for the financial mess it is in at the moment. Ignore him, we do.
Oh and he isn’t going to be critical of the Chinese, he’s being paid too much by them via the China Investment Corporation.
So the Lord Monckton’s conspiracy theory seems quite justified!
This statement by Lord Stern confirms CAGW is not only a scam but also part of a UN plot to create World Government.
I expect the great USA will chuck Lord Stern into Boston Harbor – if he dares to visit – just like they did with the tea.
Dear Lord Stern,
The English language is broad and expressive, and while you islanders may in fact have the upper hand in the flowery use of the tongue, we do have a few expressions, many of which fully rise to the American reputation for coarseness in describing acts of fornication or the evacuation of the bowels, that could serve to respond to your absurd nattering at this time.
Sincerely,
Brother Jonathan.
I don’t care what the rest or you say, I have always appreciated the British folks sense of humor.
For the last 35 years, the USA has produced more GDP than anyone else using the least amount of energy in the process, and instituting the EPA and reducing coal-fired sulfur emissions 50% along the way. The USA is without peer when it comes to fuel efficiency.
Lord Stern: get off your unknowledgeable high horse and give the credit due the USA!
The sane world should turn the concept on it’s head and refuse trade with any country the promotes AGW, due to the fact that they are price gouging and extorting money in a fraudulent manner.
His economic predictive skill is as strong as Hansen’s climate predictive skill.
Oldjim,
“He was given the task of writing the “Stern Report” by the socialist lot we kicked out at the last election.”
And the new lot now in power are different how, exactly?
I don’t know why we didn’t drown them when we had the chance.
HE is an idiot! The world economy depends on the USA to buy the products they produce and any more taxes that have already been added since obama are just going to add to the problem. IMO he needs to get out in the street and see how the havenots live and make do with the ways things are going THE UK are going to have a hard time dealing with these new money schemes like we are.
“woodNfish says:
November 19, 2010 at 9:34 am
I suppose this Stern moron doesn’t know that we can deny access to our markets for countries that want to play that game. We are not only the largest exporter in the world. We are also the largest importer.”
USA may be the largest importer, but only No. 3 as exporter after China and Germany.
In an interview with The Times, Lord Stern of Brentford said that nations that were taking strong action on emissions could start imposing restrictions on “dirty” US exports by 2020.
By 2020 Lord Stern of Brentford could be fishing for driftwood under the Kew bridge to keep himself warm.
As the science does not support the extreme AGW position, (a doubling of CO2 will result in less than 1C degree warming with most of the warming occurring at high latitudes and with effects of the warming to be mostly beneficial) there is no global warming problem to solve.
There is a fixed amount of public money to address real problems and one of the real public problems is massive government debit which will lead to a currency collapse or very high inflation. (Curiously the same out come occurs over and over again.)
The AWG problem is a crisis. The crisis is the leaches of this world are trying to take advantage of well meaning people.
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2010/01/pachauri-nose-in-honey-jar.html
“With a distinguished Indian member, by the name of Dr R K Pachauri, already on the Chicago External Advisory Board, it comes as no surprise to learn that the new chairman of this founder member group was to be Pachauri.
To assist him in the development of this enterprise, there was also created a Technical Design Committee, attracting a number of India’s “leading industrial companies” and “think-tanks” who had “committed” to be part of the committee. And, amongst those were Tata Motors, Tata Chemicals and Tata Power, as well as TERI India, of which Dr Pachauri just happens to be Director-General.
Interestingly, the Chairman of the entire Climate Exchange PLC group, Dr Richard L Sandor, is a member of the TERI School of Management Advisory Committee in India.
All this puts Pachauri, with his institute, as a direct player in the creation of a lucrative carbon trading market in India, alongside direct evidence that he was using his position as chairman of the IPCC to advocate a “definite agreement on placing a price on carbon” at the Copenhagen COP15 Summit.
Acting with a coterie of other UN officials, when it comes to conflicts of interest, they do not come any stronger.”
Lord Stern Country, wants the same for the USA?
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/212160/Winter-deaths-to-soar-as-5-million-homes-struggle-to-pay-fuel-bills
Bullying won’t win any friends to his side. He talks big for a country that almost ran out of heating fuel last year when the whole British isle was covered with ice and snow.
He must have a lot of money invested in the failing green economy.