On climate change and the economy, we're trapped in an idiotic netherworld | Greg Jericho

The shrieks of horror that follow mentions of pricing carbon show politics remains wedded to the belief that economic growth trumps concerns of climate change

This week was a prime example of how economics and, by extension, politics doesn't cope very well with the issue of climate change.

The news that Australia economy went backwards in the September quarter was greeted with alarm by politicians and then used as a reason to push their policy barrow. And most of the barrows were piled high with coal.