As the climate change debate progresses, we continue to seek out people who offer a valid perspective on the issue.
For those who appreciate a calm, reasoned approach to controversial issues, consider the opinions of Bjorn Lomborg, a Danish author who is chair of the Copenhagen Consensus and visiting scholar at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution.
A recent op-ed he wrote caught our attention for its insight and thoughtfulness. Here are some excerpts:
Over the past decade, the obsession with climate change has taken precedence over the many other major issues facing the planet, as the invasion of Ukraine demonstrated most dramatically. Western European leaders should have spent the past decade diversifying energy sources and developing shale gas instead of shutting down nuclear power plants and becoming woefully dependent on Russia.
Right now, we are still recovering from the worst pandemic in a century. Inflation, supply shortages and possibly even recession are weighing on the global economy. Yet major donors and development organizations are increasingly focusing on climate solutions. A month after the invasion of Ukraine, the head of the United Nations – an organization dedicated to ensuring world peace – has instead warned of the “climate catastrophe” that “addiction” to fossil fuels could cause.
* So how did the elites manage to get it so wrong? Today, almost all natural disasters are regularly blamed on the climate crisis. The real impact of climate change is much more nuanced. Global climate damages as a percentage of gross domestic product continue to decline, and deaths from climate-related disasters have fallen by 99% in a decade.
Mr. Lomborg suggests the need for a better understanding of the economic models used by the administration of President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama to measure the impact of global warming. This research reveals that the total global cost of climate change – not just to economies, but in every direction – will amount to less than 4% reduction in GDP by the end of the century.
It’s a concern, sure, but it’s far from the disaster liberal progressives and the national media constantly claim to be.
The world faces many challenges, and not just the ones that get the most media attention. The climate should be addressed more effectively by funding research and development on renewable energy sources to see if they can eventually supplant fossil fuels in the market.
Mr. Lomborg ended his op-ed by writing: “We must confront authoritarian expansionism in Ukraine and elsewhere. And to ensure long-term prosperity, the world needs more and cheaper energy, better education and more innovation. We need to regain our point of view to overcome the elitist hyperbole on climate change.
It’s hard to discuss.
