Economist Details Costs of Addressing Climate Change In the second installment of the "Connecting Health and Sustainability Seminar Series," economist  Matthias Ruth of the University of Maryland discussed the economical implications of tackling climate change. Although the costs up front may seem large, they are nothing compared to the costs if we do nothing, Ruth explained. One of Ruth’s many roles includes that of founding director of the University of Maryland Center for Integrative Environmental Research where he studies climate change economics. He noted that the challenges of fixing our environmental problems exist within the context of an economical system that undervalues the future. Economists don’t often take into account such things as quality of life, happiness, health of ecosystems and social networks, Ruth said, despite the importance and clear value of these “priceless” elements of society. “Every day we do experience changes…in weather conditions which are what we think climate change will look like,” Ruth said. Even if we stabilize carbon output and temperatures, sea levels will continue to rise due to thermal expansion over centuries or millennia. The economical picture involves local, regional and global issues, he said.  An audio file of Ruth’s complete presentation will be available soon on the CLF website. The seminar series is jointly sponsored by the Department of Health, Behavior and Society, the Program on Global Sustainability and Health, and the CLF. The seminars run for the next six weeks from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. on Thursdays.
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