Product Description

Bjørn Lomborg, a former member of Greenpeace, challenges widely held beliefs that the world environmental situation is getting worse and worse in his new book, The Skeptical Environmentalist. Using statistical information from internationally recognized research institutes, Lomborg systematically examines a range of major environmental issues that feature prominently in headline news around the world, including pollution, biodiversity, fear of chemicals, and the greenhouse effect, and documents that the world has actually improved. He supports his arguments with over 2500 footnotes, allowing readers to check his sources. Lomborg criticizes the way many environmental organizations make selective and misleading use of scientific evidence and argues that we are making decisions about the use of our limited resources based on inaccurate or incomplete information. Concluding that there are more reasons for optimism than pessimism, he stresses the need for clear-headed prioritization of resources to tackle real, not imagined, problems. The Skeptical Environmentalist offers readers a non-partisan evaluation that serves as a useful corrective to the more alarmist accounts favored by campaign groups and the media. Bjørn Lomborg is an associate professor of statistics in the Department of Political Science at the University of Aarhus. When he started to investigate the statistics behind the current gloomy view of the environment, he was genuinely surprised. He published four lengthy articles in the leading Danish newspaper, including statistics documenting an ever-improving world, and unleashed the biggest post-war debate with more than 400 articles in all the major papers. Since then, Lomborg has been a frequent participant in the European debate on environmentalism on television, radio, and in newspapers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28566 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 540 pages

From Amazon.co.uk
According to The Skeptical Environmentalist the hole in the Ozone Layer is healing. The Amazon has shrunk by only 14 per cent since the arrival of Man. Only 0.7 per cent of species will be driven to extinction over the next 50 years. Even the poorest humans are getting richer by the year. Things are not good enough; but they are far, far better than we have been taught to believe. Lomborg, a professor of statistics and a former Greenpeace member, reveals the complexity, confusion, and (rarely) misuse of data behind the current Litany of approaching environmental Armageddon. But this is not a comforting or reassuring read. Nor is it a bible for lackeys and do-nothings. Lomborg uses the same figures everyone else uses, from national governments to the Kyoto summit to Greenpeace. Rarely have the raw data been discussed in such detail: their history, how they are calculated, their strengths, and their weaknesses. Lomborg argues persuasively that our sense of approaching human and environmental disaster is an artefact of the valid work of modern scientific, environmental and media institutions. There is, he asserts, no one to blame for our growing sense of despair, but everything to learn. We must learn what real risks are, and what we can do about them. (Kyoto? A very bad idea...) We must prioritise. (30p on the organic basil? Or 30p to buy a child clean water in Sierra Leone?) There is, after all, room for manoeuvre; panic achieves nothing. This is our generation's Silent Spring: a book to rewrite the environmental agenda, and a must-buy for any parent who wonders what kind of world we are leaving for our children.--Simon Ings

Review
'This is one of the most valuable books on public policy - not merely on environmental policy - to have been written for the intelligent reader in the past ten years ... The Skeptical Environmentalist is a triumph.' The Economist '... a superbly documented and readable book.' Wall Street Journal 'The Skeptical Environmentalist should be read by every environmentalist, so that the appalling errors of fact the environmental movement has made in the past are not repeated. A brilliant and powerful book.' Matt Ridley, author of Genome 'The Skeptical Environmentalist is perhaps the most important book about the environment since Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (1962) awakened the world to the dangers of unrestrained economic growth.' Jason Cowley, New Statesman '... this book deserves an open minded read by anyone in the least bit interested in the environment.' The Local Planet 'Bjorn Lomborg is an outstanding representative of the 'new breed' of political scientists - mathematically-skilled and computer-adept. In this book he shows himself also to be a hard-headed, empirically-oriented analyst. Surveying a vast amount of data and taking account of a wide range of more and less informed opinion about environmental threats facing the planet, he comes to a balanced assessment of which ones are real and which over-hyped. In vigorous informal style, he indicates what needs to be done to address the real environmental hazards - and what needs not to be done about those turning out to be pseudo-problems.' Jack Hirshleifer, University of California, Los Angeles 'A new book is about to overturn our most basic assumptions about the world's environment. Far from going to hell in a handcart, it is improving by almost all measures. Those things not getting better are getting worse at a slower rate.' Anthony Browne, Environment Correspondent, Observer 'Lomborg's challenge will have to be met ... he has given an important challenge to the scientific establishment that is not only good for science, but damned necessary to it.' Fortean Times 'When Lomborg concludes that '... the loss of the world's rainforests, of fertile agricultural land, the ozone layer and of the climate balance are terrible ...' I agree. But we also need debate, and this book provides us with that in generous amounts. If you, like I do, belong to the people who dare to think the world is making some progress, but always with mistakes to be corrected, this book makes important reading.' Professor Lars Kristoferson, Secretary General, WWF Sweden 'Lomborg's book has drawn considerable attention. Although it may cause problems for the more militant and political environmentalists, it should be welcomed by anyone genuinely concerned about the environment. ... Lomborg's book sheds needed light on the real state of the world. I recommend it to anyone interested in our global environment ... The Skeptical Environmentalist is the most valuable book available in many years on public policy in general, not only environmental policy in particular. It should be required reading for all legislators, government bureaucrats and corporate executives who preside over the ever-increasing array of environmental regulations and politics. John P. Bluemle, Geotimes 'Whatever your standpoint, The Skeptical Environmentalist will make indispensable reading.' Mail on Sunday 'A brilliant book ... All in all, this is a must-have/must read book. Don't take my word for it. Check it out for yourself.' Clean Technologies & Environmental Policy '... his book is the Christmas present for a rational future.' The Chemical Engineer '... it should be welcome by anyone genuinely concerned about the environment.' Environmental Geology 'The Skeptical Environmentalist marks a critical environmental moment ... We can forget those dreary old idols: Paul Ehrlich, Lester Brown with his Worldwatch Institute, Greenpeace and all the others. They have been exiled into the darkness. Eco-optimism can begin to rise over the Earth. After Lomborg, the environmental movement will begin to wither.' National Post 'Bjorn Lomborg's book is hugely beneficial for a debate that has been one-sided.' The Financial Times ' ... it is large and full of facts ... this book deserves an open minded read by everyone in the least bit interested in the environment ... Please read this mind-expanding book ...' The Local Planet 'It's a magnificent achievement.' Washington Post Book World '... reading it was a valuable experience since it forced me to reconsider the foundations of my own opinions.' Journal of Antarctic Science 'With relentless precision, the author ... dispatches many of the misrepresentations about the environment that are propounded with monotonous regularity by so called 'non-government organisations ... Every politician at every level of all the world's governments should read it carefully. So should scientists, bureaucrats and academics whose jobs are even remotely related to environmental matters.' Asia Pacific Shipping '... think of The Skeptical Environmentalist as a young geek's answer to Al Gore's Earth in the Balance ... Lomborg pulls off the remarkable feat of welding the techno-optimism of the Internet age with a lefty's concern for the fate of the planet.' Rolling Stone '... the most controversial science book of 2001 ... The thesis has been angrily disputed by some scientists and endorsed by others, but the book is thought-provoking essential reading for those who wish to keep pace with all sides of environmental thinking.' The Times Christmas Books round-up 'The index is possibly the most thorough you are likely to see ... It should be required reading in second-level education.' Wild Ireland 'The Lomborg affair merits attention not because of its robust criticisms, character assassination and pressure politics -these are nothing new - but because its extremeness could mark a watershed in how science relates to policy and politics.' Nature 'As an example of writing across multiple disciplines, this book is a tour de force.' Geographical Journal 'Do read The Skeptical Environmentalist ... There will be something you agree with, and something that makes you bite the carpet. That's money well spent these days.' Alex Kirby, environmental correspondent of BBC News Online 'Lomberg's book sheds needed light on the real state of the world. I recommend it to anyone interested in our global environment ... the book is a credible attempt at refuting many of the more outrageous environmentalist claims - a point of view that is seldom heard. The Skeptical Environmentalist is the most valuable book available in many years on public policy in general, not only environmental policy in particular. It should be required reading for all legislators, government bureaucrats and corporate executives who preside over the ever-increasing array of environmental regulations and policies.' Geotimes 'Lomborg's argument is of great potential importance to peace research.' Journal of Peace Research 'Number five, of ten of the most fascinating books published recently. Hugely controversial.' Sunday People 'Lomborg's message is one that the public deserves to hear ... he makes his case calmly and transparently ... Lomborg's unruffled earnestness is admirable, and he is a wonderful witness for the prosecution.' The Weekly Standard '... he has written probably the most comprehensive, up-to-date and provocative contribution to environmental optimism so far ...'. Times Higher Education Supplement '... his book is marvellously referenced, providing many details with a comprehensive list of sources of data.' Times Higher Education Supplement 'An absolute must read.' Choice '... unique in its scope as well as the depth to which he plumbs the issues ...It is also a book that should be read by would-be adversaries to his position as much as by policy students and practitioners alike.' Prometheus '... for the student and academic interested in the environmental issues I have no hesitation in recommending the book as an example of an alternative viewpoint.' Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics ' ... unique in its scope as well as the depth to which he plumbs the issues ... It is also a book that should be read by would-be adversaries to his position as much as by policy students and practitioners alike.' Prometheus

Review
"This is one of the most valuable books on public policy - not merely on environmental policy - to have been written for the intelligent general reader in the past ten years. The Skeptical Environmentalist is a triumph." The Economist

"...a superbly documented and readable book." Wall Street Journal

"...it is a surprise to meet someone who calls himself an environmentalist but who asserts that things are getting better....Strange to say, the author of this happy thesis is not a steely-eyed economist at a conservative Washington think tank but a vegetarian, backpack-toting academic who was a member of Greenpeace for four years....The primary target of the books, a substantial work of analysis with almost 3.000 footnotes, are statements made by environemtal organizations like the Worldwatch Institute, the World Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace. He refers to the persistently gloomy fate from these groups as the Litany, a collection of statements that he argues are exaggerations or outright myths." Science of the Times/New York Times

"The Skeptical Environmentalist should be read by every environmentalist, so that the appalling errors of fact the environmental movement has made in the past are not repeated. A brilliant and powerful book." Matt Ridley, Author of Genome

"Lomborg pulls off the remarkable feat of welding the techno-optimism of the Internet age with a lefty's concern for the fate of the planet." Rolling Stone

"Bjørn Lomborg is an outstanding representative of the "new breed" of political scientists--mathematically-skilled and computer-adept. In this book he shows himself also to be a hardheaded, empirically oriented analyst. Surveying a vast amount of data and taking account of a wide range of more and less informed opinion about environmental threats facing the planet, he comes to a balanced assessment of which ones are real and which are over-hyped. In vigorous and what needs not to be done about those turning out to be pseudo-problems." Professor Jack Hirshleifer, Department of Economics, UCLA

"Bjørn Lomborg raises the important question whether the costs of remedying the damage caused by environmental pollution are higher than the costs of the pollution itself. The answer is by no means straightforward. He has written a pioneering book." Professor Richard Rosecrance, Department of Political Science, UCLA

"When Lomborg concludes that '...the loss of the world's rainforests, of fertile agricultural land, the ozone layer and of the climate balance are terrible...' I agree. But we also need debate, and this book provides us with that in generous amounts, incl 2428 footnotes. If you, like I do, belong to the people who dare to think the world is making some progress, but always with mistakes to be corrected, this book makes important reading." Professor Lars Kristoferson, Secretary General, WWF Sweden

"...probably the most important book on the environment ever written." booksonline

"Lomborg is right on his points, that his critique of much green activism and its reporting in the media is just, and, above all, that where there is room for disagreement, Mr Lomborg invites and facilitates discussion, rather than seeking to silence it." The Economist Feb 2002

Customer Reviews

The "Hidden" Agenda
This is a terrific book that should be on the bookshelf of everybody that believes that reason is more powerful than passion or faith. Using detailed statistical analysis, the author essentially tears apart most of the arguments that environmentalists have been using to push their agenda on the rest of us. Reading this book, it became obvious to me that environmentalists for the most part, are *not* interested in the environment and in the health of the people on it (if they were, they would at least get their facts straight, and stop the constant barrage of misinformation that they constantly throw at us). They are indeed, more interested in their political agenda, a combination of fascism and socialism, because of course, "they know best".

Use this book as a fact finder. And then watch your so-called environmentalist friends squirm when you feed them the facts. Guaranteed, they will not have a response, and then eventually concede that the facts don't matter one way or another.

Useful Addition to My Environmental Knowledge
I focused on the section on Global Warming. Lomberg agrees that the Earth is warming (politicians, please take note). There are many graphs and notes to back up a thoughtful discussion of the costs of global warming and the costs of preventing it. This type of analysis is indeed the foundation for determining what to do. Lomberg concludes we are better off letting the Earth warm but admits a lot of Bangladeshis will die in severe weather. And Danes may get a bit more tan.

The level of detail is dazzling but the book does not attempt to address what the actual costs are for prevention. It therefore did not convince me it's impossible for the developed world to change its behaviors without damaging the economic future.

To my way of business thinking, spending less on fossil fuel per GDP dollar and inventing devices to allow others to do the same is going to be a economic benefit, not a cost. Having been asked by President Bush to take it on faith that adopting the Kyoto Protocol would harm our economy, I had hoped to find some proof in this book. I did not, but would still recommend it for its richness in data. And be sure to note what kind of science Mr. Lomborg teaches.

a little scary....
....that Scientific American and The Star Chamber (Danish Committees on Scientific Dishonesty) piled on Lomborg with polemic statements and petty arguments against The Skeptical Environmentalist. I have a physics degree and currently study politics with a stastistical approach, and I appreciate the effort Lomborg put into his comprehensive survey so that we now have a dispassionate reference of the state of the environment.

Read Lomborg's careful rebuttle to Scientific American on the web, and watch him debate a Berkeley professor of Ecological Studies on PBS's Uncommon Knowledge (where you can view 25 minutes on several topics -- just enter Lomborg's name in the web site serach engine). Lomborg doesn't simply win the debate but utterly smashes these scientists' feeble arguments, all while gracefully taking their cheap shots. To some extent the lopsidedness is funny, but deeper down it is disturbing. I still have respesct for science in general although worry when many prominent scientists have inexcusable lapses in reasoning. But then again, Lomborg has one clear advantage over many scientists he debates: He understands basic economics and benefit/cost analysis while too many bright scientists obviously do not.

Long live science, but live longer the intelligent skeptics.