Question 1. Consider the papers by Golosov et al. (2014), Nordhaus (2015), Nordhaus (2018) and Patt et al. (2022). Relate your answers to the questions below to these four papers, citing them in the appropriate parts of your response. a) What are the key roles that economists play in the climate debate? b) Describe the key features of the climate policies recommended in Golosov et al. (2014) and Nordhaus (2018). Describe also the main differences between the models used.
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
a) Economists play several key roles in the climate debate, as highlighted in the papers by Golosov et al. (2014), Nordhaus (2015), Nordhaus (2018), and Patt et al. (2022). Firstly, economists provide valuable insights into the economic impacts of climate change and the costs associated with different mitigation and adaptation strategies. They analyze the costs and benefits of climate policies and assess their effectiveness in achieving emission reduction targets.
Economists also play a crucial role in designing and evaluating climate policies. They develop economic models that simulate the interactions between the economy and the climate system, allowing policymakers to explore different policy scenarios and their outcomes. These models take into account factors such as carbon pricing, technological innovation, and behavioral responses to policy interventions.
Furthermore, economists contribute to the climate debate by conducting cost-benefit analyses of climate policies. They assess the trade-offs between the costs of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the benefits in terms of avoided damages from climate change. This helps policymakers make informed decisions by weighing the economic costs against the potential benefits of different policy options.
b) Golosov et al. (2014) and Nordhaus (2018) propose climate policies that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In Golosov et al. (2014), the authors recommend implementing a carbon tax to internalize the social cost of carbon emissions. Their model incorporates the dynamics of climate change and analyzes how optimal carbon taxes can be determined to achieve emission reduction targets.
Nordhaus (2018) also advocates for carbon pricing but suggests using a different approach called a “carbon fee and dividend” system. Under this system, a gradually increasing carbon tax is imposed on fossil fuel producers, and the revenue collected is returned to households as dividends. This approach aims to address concerns about the regressive nature of carbon pricing by redistributing the revenue to mitigate potential negative impacts on low-income households.
One of the main differences between the models used in these papers is their treatment of uncertainty and discounting. Nordhaus (2015) and Nordhaus (2018) incorporate uncertainty by using probability distributions for key parameters such as climate sensitivity and economic growth rates. They apply discounting to future costs and benefits to reflect individuals’ time preferences.
On the other hand, Golosov et al. (2014) focus on modeling the dynamic interactions between the economy and climate system, considering factors such as technological change and learning-by-doing effects. Their model does not explicitly incorporate uncertainty or discounting.
These differences in modeling approaches highlight the complexities involved in assessing climate policies and the various factors that economists consider when making recommendations. It also emphasizes the ongoing debate among economists regarding the most appropriate models and assumptions for analyzing climate change mitigation strategies.
