1/31/2024 0 Comments Sisyphus definitionMuch of the economic analysis and advice that informs climate change decision-making is based, whether consciously or not, on the assumption of equilibrium. This has implications not only for national policy, but also for international cooperation. I argue here that a different approach to economic decision-making is possible, one that will help governments act more effectively, more often. In a recent study of outstanding examples of success in decarbonisation in China, India, Brazil and Europe, researchers found that the policies most critical to these successes were generally implemented ‘despite, not because of, the predominant economic analysis and advice.’ This must surely be cause for concern. They are typically informed by economic analysis – whether formally, through modelling and calculations, or informally, through the application of rules of thumb based on widely-accepted theory. Most are considered to be questions of economic policy, since they affect economic interests and involve the reallocation of resources. In this context, it matters greatly how the policy decisions that influence emissions are made. Meanwhile, scientists are telling us that the risks of catastrophic changes are greater than they thought, even at low levels of warming. Experts are beginning to say that this is implausible. To have a reasonable chance of meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement – limiting global warming to below 1.5 degrees C – we now need to decarbonise the global economy roughly five times faster over the course of this decade than we managed during the last two decades. Since the international agreement thirty years ago to ‘prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system’, annual global emissions of greenhouse gases have continued to rise. Progress so far has been underwhelming, to put it mildly. While public debate on climate change often focuses on countries’ national emissions targets, it is these specific policies that determine whether targets are missed, met, or exceeded. Thus, a never-ending and fruitless task came to be known as a Sisyphean task or a Sisyphean labor.By Simon Sharpe, Director of Economics, UNFCCC Climate Champions Policy Associate, Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, University College LondonĮvery day, governments around the world make laws, regulations, taxes, and investments that influence future emissions of greenhouse gases. This labor was difficult enough, but when he did manage to succeed, the boulder would roll down the other side of the hill, forcing him to start all over again. There, Sisyphus was punished by being compelled to spend eternity rolling a huge boulder up a hill. In the end, Zeus himself sent Sisyphus to Tartarus, which was the lowest part of the Underworld and basically the modern equivalent of hell. He even angered the Goddess of Hospitality, Xenia, by killing travelers and guests even while encouraging commerce and travel. Making matters worse, he was a terrible ruler. This angered the God of War since battles had little color without the specter of death! King Sisyphus was even dragged down to the Underworld only to talk his way out. He had offended the Gods due to his clever schemes, such as cheating death by fooling Thanatos, king of the dead, into binding himself with his own chains, thus not only escaping death himself but preventing the death of all others. This rarely used idiom derives from the Greek myth of King Sisyphus, who ruled over Ephyra. “My old boss thought the proper way to treat an employee was to engage them in Sisyphean tasks, moving stock from one place to another for no purpose but to stay busy.” “Francis was stuck with the Sisyphean task of trying to get warring factions to see each other’s point of view and strike a compromise.”
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |