Renewables and climate protection, so goes common wisdom, are costly endeavors that inevitably throw a spanner in industrial economies geared for growth. But an excellent new study conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory for the European Climate Foundation contradicts this ostensible truism. As Paul Hockenos explains, it shows that while the transition to a low-carbon energy system may indeed cost money, economies can grow – not despite low-emissions policies, but also because of them. In fact, four of the five countries examined in the report – Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and the UK – have decreased greenhouse gas emissions while their economies have expanded. (The Netherlands is the lone sheep of the five on decarbonisation.) One of the most interesting observations is that all five have gone about it in different ways. In other words, there’s no one way to do it. Just like with development, every country has its own path. Denmark, for example, stimulated the wind power and efficiency sectors by investing heavily in R&D and creating a domestic market for technology. Since the 1970s, it … Continue reading Low-Carbon Energy Policies Aren’t Just Pain