Global Warming, or, Climate Change, and Dr. Lomborg

For the last thirty or forty years, there has been great disagreement among scientists about global warming. Global warming is the term that means the climate is becoming warmer. You may also hear the term climate change. Climate change is a term that can mean global warming, but it can also mean any change in the climate. Is the Earth’s climate warming? If so, is man the cause of the warming? If it is warming, what are the best policies for governments to take? If it is not warming, is it worth spending enormous amounts of money and resources battling climate change? How much influence can man have in making the Earth warmer, or in slowing or reversing a climate change? The above questions all involve science and policy making. However, much discussion and many decisions about climate policy are political. This means, politicians make decisions based on what will get them elected, or, what will give them more power, instead of basing their ideas in science. Unfortunately, it appears that many who do not question that man is destroying the climate use aggressive tactics, instead of science, to promote their ideas. These "climate alarmists" give the appearance to many in the United States that humans are in imminent danger of destroying the environment, even though there is much evidence against this theory.

One author has made many enemies among those who claim global warming is man-made. His name is Dr. Bjorn Lomborg. Dr. Lomborg was born in Denmark in 1965 and earned his Ph.D. in political science at the University of Copenhagen in 1994. While visiting the United States, he listened to a professor challenge those who argued that man is destroying Earth and that life is worse today than in the past. Wanting to research the truth behind these claims, Dr. Lomborg began a thorough study of the quality of life today versus one hundred years ago and discovered that in every category, the quality of life for humans has improved. More people have access to clean water; Life expectancy has increased worldwide over 30 years; Literacy is more widespread than ever. In his research, Dr. Lomborg also questioned why governments were spending massive amounts of money to slow global warming without analyzing the costs and benefits of the policies. 

Two books that Dr. Lomborg has written are The Skeptical Environmentalist and Cool It. Cool It is also an interested documentary. Both books and the documentary make for interesting springboards for discussion. In his works, Dr. Lomborg points out that humans should focus their attention on the smartest solutions to problems on Earth, instead of throwing money to politicians who claim that their actions are good for the environment. Because of his work, Dr. Lomborg was initially treated with great disdain and hatred. In Denmark, he was sued for libel for claiming that man could not influence the climate as much as many politicians and journalists claimed. In the trial, it was decided that Dr. Lomborg was innocent, because he was not intelligent enough to be responsible for his ideas.  

In an editorial published in the Wall Street Journal on February 1, 2015, Dr. Lomborg notes that there are many encouraging signs that humans need not be as worried about climate change as some would have us think. According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, temperatures have risen .09 degrees Fahrenheit in the last 15 years. This is 90% less of a rise than all of the climate alarmists had been predicting. The Arctic sea is melting, but, the Antarctic sea ice is increasing. A study has shown that the world is experiencing less drought since 1982. Landfalling tycoons have declined since 1950, according to a 2012 study. In the 2010s, the death rate due to natural disasters is 97% lower than at the beginning of the century. 

Even though Dr. Lomborg has had great challenges arguing with climate alarmists who try to depict him as someone out of his mind, he has consistently brought enlightenment to the discussion on climate change. He is the director of Copenhagen Consensus Center, which brings together some of the world’s top economists to think of solutions to world problems. Dr. Lomborg’s commentaries have been published in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Economist, CNN, Fox, 60 Minutes, and many other publications and News Networks. The issues of climate and man’s influence on the climate will continue to be one of great debate. Professors such as Dr. Lomberg bring reasoned thought and research to the discussion.

Questions:
1.       What are some common questions asked about the climate and climate change?
2.       What do climate alarmists claim?
3.       Who is Dr. Lomborg?
4.       What is some positive news Dr. Lomborg writes about involving Earth’s climate?
5.       Ask as many college age students in your neighborhood, what they think is a greater danger to the U.S.A.,  Muslim terrorists or global warming? Ask them to explain their answer.