Curtis: Do extreme weather phenomena like Hurricane Sandy help or hinder a productive conversation about climate change?
Adjunct Professor at Queen's University and Chair of Statistics Canada's Advisory Committee on International Trade Statistics
On balance, and if not overdone, extreme weather events will raise the public’s questioning of the status quo and in due course, with a trigger and timing that we cannot yet determine, will lead to demands for action on the part of public authorities. This call for action, and subsequent policy steps (carbon taxes, border adjustment taxes, quotas, cap-and-trade, etc.) will likely occur within a decade….populations under 40 years old now will be receptive and will comprise the bulk of the active population within that time frame.
