Gernot Wagner

But Will the Planet Notice?

How smart economics can — must — save the world.

If you want to understand how an economist thinks about the biggest challenge our planet has ever stumbled up against, this book is an awfully good place to start!

– Bill McKibben, Founder of 350.org

Read the NYT op-ed and the Intro.

Make the planet notice.

If you want to make the planet notice, follow the economics. It’s what:

got lead out of gasoline in the 80s,
sharply reduced acid rain in the 90s,
cut plastic bags in Ireland by 90% in the 00s, and
is beginning to cut carbon emissions around the world.

Misguided economics is what has led to the head-on collision of markets, people, and the planet we now experience. Fortunately, there are lessons even from the latest financial crisis we can take to make a difference. We have no time to lose. If you thought “too big to fail” was huge, think again. Global warming by now is literally slowing the earth’s rotation. You can bail out AIG, Greece, or even the United States. You can’t bail out the planet. Let’s make the planet notice:

Learn about policy solutions,
Take action for the environment,
Read the New York Times op-ed, and
Buy this book to get the full, quick snapshot of what we need do to make the planet notice.

Selected Praise

If you want to understand how an economist thinks about the biggest challenge our planet has ever stumbled up against, this book is an awfully good place to start!

– Bill McKibben, Founder of 350.org

Lessons in economics and global environmental problems, from a guy you’d actually talk to at a party.

– Dan Shapley, The Daily Green

This splendid book showcases why environmental economics is such an exciting field today. Who knew that an economist not named Krugman could write so well? I will buy my mom a copy.

– Matthew E. Kahn, author of Climatopolis: How Our Cities Will Thrive in Our Hotter Future

Idealism will not shift the choices of billions of people as effectively as self-interest. Gernot Wagner has written a lucid and enjoyable exposition of the underlying economics.

We must remove the incentives to treat scarce resources as if they were free. He respects the moral principles of the idealists who want to change behaviour by precept alone. But, as an economist, he knows that if we want less of anything, including pollution, we must raise its price.

Reaching effective agreements on how to change the incentives to create global pollution will be extremely hard. But there is no workable alternative.

– Martin Wolf, Chief economics commentator at the Financial Times

But Will the Planet Notice?

Buy But Did the Planet Notice?

Make the planet notice.

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