In 1980, Congress created
another committee to study CO2, then put
Bill Nierenberg in charge. Rather than publishing a collectively-authored report, like
NAS committees usually do, Nierenberg’s group instead released a report with several individually-authored chapters. Five chapters by scientists described climate change’s likelihood and effects, while two chapters by economists disagreed. In the first chapter, three economists argued that
CO2 levels were likely to double by 2065, but taxing fossil fuels would be more expensive than just adapting to the problem when it arrives. In the final chapter,
Schelling argued that it’s better to deal with climate change’s symptoms than its causes because we know little about how future people will live or what they will want.