Another article: McKinsey Global Institute: "The carbon productivity challenge: Curbing climate change and sustaining economic growth"

http://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/publications/Carbon_Productivity/index.asp

"The carbon productivity challenge: Curbing climate change and sustaining economic growth"

I love this article because it touches on such a key point. Lowering carbon emissions is good for the environment and resisting global warming, but how does it affect the economy? Well Mckinsey Global Institute says: " To meet commonly discussed abatement paths, carbon productivity must increase from approximately $740 GDP per ton of CO2e today to $7,300 GDP per ton of CO2e by 2050—a tenfold increase".

Wow, those are startling numbers. We must be able to meet these goals by 2050 - only 41 years from now. In a growing economy, where carbon emissions are increasing exponentially from oil, coal plants, power plants, manufacturing, plastics, deforestation - we need to be cognisant of the role carbon emissions are playing in parallel to our "growth". We have to remember that our population is growing, and we must protect the next generation from dealing with problems just because the majority of the US is presently consuming energy with arrogant entitlement.
And I dont know about you, but when I'm older and ready to retire, I don't want to worry about basic necessities.