The 700 page Stern Report was composed in 2006 by a team of 23 scientists led by Sir Nicholas Stern, head of the UK Government Economic Service and finds that the costs of climate change will amount to 5% of global GDP per year and even associates this with the costs of the great wars.
The Stern Report was handed to the Chancellor and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at the end of October 2006. The report suggested that one percent of global GDP should be invested in climate change mitigation measures from now on. However the scientific foundations of the report are questionable.
Maximilian Müngersdorff argues that the reports findings are biased. The report is consistently based on "worst case scenario" statistics and a selective base of literature whilst also downplaying the reliability issues of projected climate change scenarios. Stern also takes no account of future adations and technology developments and in particular, underestimates the potential for developing countries to develop sustainably.
This is not to say that climate change is not a serious issue. However, unreliable papers supply further ammunition to those who are skeptical about the negative effects of climate change, as opposed to rationalizing the debate.
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