DavidWeisman's Full Review: Bjorn Lomborg - Cool It: The Skeptical Environment...
This is a book about global warming. Although the author doesn't agree with the climate change deniers on everything, his slant, tone, and attitude lean towards them.
First Call Them Hysterical
In some ways the first chapter is a miniature version of the entire book. First he evokes recent fears about what global warming might do to the habitat of the polar bears. He points out some exaggerations and distortions that have been made. He claims that if we really want to help the polar bears there are much cheaper ways than cutting carbon which he says will benefit them more. For instance, he explains that more are projected to die from hunting than from habitat problems, so it would be cheaper to solve that problem and help more bears. Late in the chapter he casually admits that climate change might play a role in eliminating the hunting possibilities for the polar bear, forcing them to live more like black bears. He doesn't go into the real costs of saving polar bears, or how it should be done. What governments would have to be cajoled to do more against hunting, and at what non monetary costs? What are the costs of big government finally outlawing the ancient lifestyles of the few remaining indigenous people who hunt polar bears - and which governments would we need to persuade?
Accentuate the Negative
A part of his technique is to discuss in depth instances of exaggeration by people expressing concern about global warming - and ignore exaggeration and misleading statements by those who deny or downplay it. In particular, he accepts that the evidence that humans are helping to cause global warming, but ignores those who still claim otherwise.
Downplay the difficulty of dealing with the negative consequences of global warming - and the problem of who pays
Rather late in the book - after having fun with all the consequences of global warming which could plausibly be denied or downplayed, he talks about rising sea levels and the land that will be lost by various nations. He blithely explains measures can be taken which will reduce or eliminate most of that land loss which are much cheaper than the carbon cuts needed to do the same thing. He doesn't mention that carbon cuts would be paid for by the ones causing the problem, but his measures might not be. Even if the rich nations did pay - would they pay friend and foe alike? Would corrupt governments all use the money well? Would they consider it as a debt to be paid no matter what, or as foreign aid to be cut in the event of economic difficulties?
Make everything besides carbon cuts sound easy
He has a little chart you may recognize from elsewhere. He says educating people about condoms and AIDS would save many more lives per dollar than trying to reduce climate change. He doesn't talk about the governments actively resisting such education - or about major carbon producers such as the USA which may be resistant to funding such education. Similar problems apply to most of the things he prefers to carbon cuts - they've already been done where they are easy, corrupt governments or other problems usually apply to the places they haven't been done.
Oh yes. The organization that made the chart mostly opposes climate change initiatives. They haven't actively lobbied for any of the laudable works they prefer.
Mischaracterize the opposition
Citing an economist, he argues that Al Gore's proposed carbon tax is much too large. $2 to $14 (he says closer to $2) would make more sense than Gore's $140. Maybe. He doesn't point out the vast number of coal companies who would fight his tax no matter how small, merely because it acknowledged the problem and took concrete steps. He doesn't say who should enact or collect the tax, much less lobby for it seriously. It's a good proposal, and he should take it seriously if he wishes to be taken seriously in turn. It would fund many of his other ideas.
Summary
This book has some interesting ideas, but I would mostly recommend it to someone setting out to read a balanced assortment of books, or someone willing to do some hard thinking. I think it would mislead a casual reader.
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