People & Culture

New book looks at economic solutions for the climate crisis

“We cannot sit on the sidelines anymore,” says Tom Rand, author of The Case for Climate Capitalism

  • Mar 05, 2020
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A new book from author Tom Rand is looking at economic solutions for a planet in crisis. 

The Case for Climate Capitalism investigates the cultural and political divide of the discussion around how to handle the climate crisis. 

“This is not a political debate,” says Rand. “It’s a pragmatic debate about what tools can put a cork in emissions fast enough to get us out of this mess.”

Rand says his book is a challenge to both groups — both anti-market critics and climate-savvy business leaders.

“Lets not pretend we’re going to throw out capitalism, but at the same time business leaders need to stand up,” he says. “To those leaders, the business elite, they look to be on the wrong side of history unless they stand up and are forceful about the changes we need to make to get out of this trap that we’re in.”

The main themes of the book, out this week from ECW Press, include that pricing carbon is a given but only a starting point, that investors prioritize solutions that work with carbon pricing and can be implemented quickly, that the low-carbon sector is great for industry, and above all, that we do have the financial power to slow climate change.

Rand says that while individuals have to contribute to the solution, incremental change without systemic change will “take us off the climate cliff.”

“You can’t rebuild our economy in such a radical way without everybody being involved,” he says. “Democracy is a contact sport and we cannot sit on the sidelines anymore.”

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