Green Modernization: Reflections from Europe (Features‪)‬

There are strong arguments for the thesis that climate change will develop into the single most important global problem of the first half of this century. Rising sea levels; hurricanes and their devastating consequences; ongoing desertification in developing and developed countries; scarcity of water, the resulting "wars on water" and the tens of millions of environmental refugees; scarcity of food--the list of problems is endless. According to British economist and former World Bank vice-president Nicholas Stern, the costs associated with the effects of climate change will rise to US$2.5 trillion by 2050. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]