Nobel winners regret fear of new developments
68 views · Published 12 December 2018 · 4:14 · Indexed 6 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(7 Dec 2018) A winner of this year's Nobel Prize for Economics who advocates carbon taxes as the best way to address greenhouse gas emissions says he does not expect US President Donald Trump to back his view. William Nordhaus's comments to The Associated Press on Friday followed Trump's recent dismissal of his own government's report warning of the dire consequences of climate change. Nordhaus will split the 9 million-kronor (US 1 million dollars) prize with another American, Paul Romer, who was recognised for his work on how markets can encourage innovation. Carbon taxes, which involves the imposition of levies on companies that burn fossil fuel, are criticised as being detrimental to economic growth, according to opponents. And that's a sensitive issue in the wake of the global economic downturn a decade ago. "Nobody can predict with any accuracy what will happen in a year or two years," he said at a news conference with Nordhaus and the winners of the physics and chemistry Nobels. Two of the chemistry prize laureates said excessive concerns about genetically modified foods and other substances can inhibit mankind from benefiting from developments in the field. "We've been modifying the biological world at the level of DNA for thousands of years," said American Frances Arnold, citing examples such as new dog breeds. They were named winners along with American George Smith for advances that the award characterized as speeding up evolution of enzymes and proteins. Arnold was one of two female winners of science Nobels this year. The other, Donna Strickland of Canada, said she sees progress in attracting women to traditionally male-dominated science, engineering and mathematics. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/3cf17542a22ea79124e74f9cd12f722d
