A bevy of ideas to respond to climate change

In this year’s essay competition The Economist received nearly 2,400 entries from 130 countries and territories. They came from entrants as young as nine and as old as 71—who said they felt compelled to add their voice, even though the rules specified that only those aged 16 to 25 were eligible to win.

The essays advocated everything from eco-authoritarianism to anarchy to artificial intelligence. Common themes included treating climate change as a new “world war” and replacing subsidies that contribute to pollution with ones that mitigate it. A “green index” to track the extent of the problem was put forward, as was the idea of a “green GDP” to price the value of the environment in national accounts.