$7 Trillion: Cost of Not Acting to Prevent Climate Change

A review comissioned by the Brittish government, compiled by Nicholas Stern, former chief economist at the World Bank, has estimated that the cost of unmitigated climate change could be as much as $7 trillion in the next forty years. That's about 20% OF ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD.

The extremely scary piece of information is accompanied by a polite suggestion that we spend 1% of the world's money RIGHT NOW, in order to avoid that fate. "We can pay one percent more now," Stern explained, "We can grow and be green."