This is on my wish list. With all the ink lately about global warming, this promises to put some of the rhetoric in perspective.

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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.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7884 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-10
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 540 pages

Matt Ridley, author of Genome
"...should be read by every environmentalist, so that the appalling errors of fact the environmental movement has made in the past are not repeated."

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

THE ECONOMIST, September 8, 2001
...one of the most valuable books on public policy-not merely ...environmental policy-...written in the past ten years...

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Customer Reviews

Outdated and Uneducated
An environmental book written by a statistician! 90% of all statistics can be used to show either side of the argument 50% of the time! This author uses this skill liberally.

The first chapter makes a very valid point: be aware of what you're reading and be skeptical! The rest of the book is slanted toward his OPINION and he disregards information that doesn't support his viewpoints.

Many things may not be as bad as some portray but they aren't as rosy as this author portrays either. READ WITH SKEPTICISM!!

The Most Thoughtful Book on the Environment in Print
The Skeptical Environmentalist is a wonderful book. In today's environmental debates, this is a work without peer. Nowhere else can a person obtain a truly focused and non-biased view (at least as non-biased as a person can be) on the future of our planet and how to meet its problems.

The author is a scientist who specializes not just in environmental matters but statistical research. His mathematical background shows at every step in the book. First of all, he is highly organized. There is never a doubt of where he is at or where the author is going with his thoughts. Nothing is confusing here. Next, the author is thorough in his research and his presentation. He considers every nuisance of the problem and approaches the matter with exactness.

This is a true man of science trying to show the reader how science, true science, approaches problems and works out solutions. Even if one isn't interested in the environment, if there is an interest in science, this book will show how science must work, and how it must NOT work, if there is to be thoughtful progress in the world through science.

If you are wondering what the environmental debate should sound like you must read this book. If you are wondering what the facts are behind the various environmental problems facing the world today you must read this book. If you are looking for reasonable solutions to many of the environmental problems facing humanity today you must read this book.

In short, if you care about science or the environment - read this book!

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What is the REAL state of the environment and what should we do about it?
I have always considered myself to be an environmentalist since I was a child and my parents taught me not to litter or be wasteful, to be kind to animals, and to respect and appreciate nature. These are values I've maintained and am trying to pass on to my children. So, like many others, I have become increasingly worried about the condition of our planet with the constant bombardment of sound-bites bearing line after line of ever more distressing news almost on a daily basis.

But after reading through Mr. Lomborg's incredibly detailed book I find myself more worried than before, and not because we're *not doing* enough but because we're often not doing the *right* things. Mr. Lomborg, a former Green Peace activist, analyzes the data and statistics on many of the current environmental issues, such as soil erosion, landfill capacity, amount of forest cover, ozone levels, global warming, etc. He examines the data on glaciers that are melting and those that are growing. He looks into the data behind the claims of impending catastrophe, such as the famous "hockey stick" graph, and traces it back to the sources. His conclusions are often very surprising and highlight the need to NOT base public policy on shrill and panic-inducing headlines but on rational and coherent science. For example, through detailed analysis he concludes that even if all nations agreed to abide by the Kyoto Treaty it still wouldn't make a significant impact in global warming.

But just because Al Gore is afraid to talk with him, don't assume Lomborg is dismissive of the warnings about climate change. He concludes that the earth is in fact getting warmer and that mankind's activities are most likely the primary reason. But he doesn't claim, as some do, that all results will be beneficial and therefore needn't worry us. Instead, he actually analyzes the various claims of both disaster and benefit, and concludes that the results (as near as can be determined based on currently available information) will be a mixed bag. Overall he advocates for more reasoned policies of action based on sound science rather than on simple knee-jerk reaction.

This is an exhaustively researched and detailed book that covers many environmental topics and is not limited to global warming. But it is an approach that I appreciate, not merely calling for action, but calling for action in the most beneficial ways. Most may not want to attempt reading it front to back as I tried, but it is an excellent resource and is laid out in a manner that allows easy access to selective topics for lots of helpful information. An excellent voice of reason in a very emotional and important debate.