Bjørn Lomborg

Bjørn Lomborg ( born January 6, 1965 in Frederiksberg ) is a Danish political scientist, lecturer, statistician and author.

He is a lecturer at the Copenhagen Business School and head of the Copenhagen Consensus Centre. The Environmental Assessment Institute, now a portion of the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Copenhagen, was established at the beginning of the liberal- conservative government Anders Fogh Rasmussen I for him. Known worldwide was Lomborg with the controversial bestseller The Skeptical Environmentalist (Eng. Apocalypse No! How do the human livelihoods really develop ) and the 2002 started with the collaboration of multiple carriers of the Nobel Prize in Economics Copenhagen Consensus on priority setting in global development policy.

In 2010 he published the book Smart Solutions to Climate Change with proposals to combat climate change and called for billions in investments for research into climate-friendly energy sources. Nevertheless, he looks at a moderate warming more good than harm. It should also be - following on Julian Lincoln Simon - the future of the earth by no means bleak. The most important indicators have changed for the better, according to Lomborg since 1900 and to solve the problems more resources would be available than ever.

Life

Bjørn Lomborg comes from Frederiksberg north of Copenhagen and graduated in 1991 his studies in political science at the University of Aarhus from. Then he accepted a PhD position at the University of Copenhagen, where he in 1994 Dr. phil. doctorate. Then he returned to the Institute of Political Science (Institute for Statskundskab ) at Aarhus University, where he taught statistics in particular. In 1997 he was promoted to lecturer and reached Professor status.

Known worldwide Lomborg was when he in 1998 his book Verdens sande tilstand ( The true world state; 2001 in English under the title: The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World and 2002 in German: Apocalypse No How did the human! really develop livelihoods published, see below) published. This play many components in addition to the global warming a role: overpopulation, energy resource depletion, disproportionate deforestation, loss of animal and plant species, progressive water shortage etc. - possible causes such as climate change. This was based on the study of theses Julian L. Simon and a Wired interview with the same.

A complaint by the Danish Research Centre for alleged academic dishonesty has been expressly withdrawn by the Danish Ministry of Research.

When opponents of the conventional environmental policy, he became popular. Thus, the conservative Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen in 2002 he was appointed director of the newly established Danish Institute for Miljøvurdering ( Institute of Environmental Assessment ). In April 2004, he told Time magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World ". From 20,000 readers of the policy magazines Foreign Policy and Prospect he was elected in late 2005 at No. 14 of the " 20 most important intellectuals of the world." In 2004 he went back to Aarhus, and took the following year to a position at the Copenhagen Business School.

In his bestselling book The Skeptical Environmentalist (Eng. Apocalypse No! How really develop the human livelihoods, 2002) Lomborg attacked the view of the general state of the environment is deteriorating more and more. Based on statistical material he tried to prove that the state of the environment has improved and called, therefore, to use, for example, less state funding for climate policy. He came across in the media with great response and straight at opponents of conventional environmental policy on consent, but also criticism.

In his book published in 2007 Cool It! he criticized his view was the exaggeration of the effects of climate change, as he sees it at Al Gore, George Monbiot and Nicholas Stern and organizations such as the IPCC and also with NGOs such as Greenpeace, as well as by various media and politicians. The primary aim of his criticism was the adherence to the objectives of the Kyoto Protocol, as even its full implementation would delay the warming by only five years. The services provided for the Kyoto Protocol financial burdens should be spent more efficiently in the in the organized " Copenhagen Consensus " he proposed measures listed there more pressing problems of mankind according to Lomborg's opinion. These included, inter alia, combating disease and malnutrition and improving water supply and hygiene standards in underdeveloped countries.

He also said that the possible consequences of the warming could be countered by some measures against hurricanes and floods with a fraction of the cost and so would bring more benefits than the reduction of the current CO2 emissions and thus would be much more sustainable.

For surprise, however, Lomborg made ​​in August 2010, when he admitted that U.S. $ 100 billion per year would be needed to combat climate change. It is a fact that there is global warming, that it is caused by humans and that something had to be done about it. These suggested Lomborg before the introduction of a tax on CO2 emissions. The U.S. $ 100 billion will be invested according to Lomborg's ideas in the study of climate-friendly energy sources such as wind, wave, nuclear and solar energy. Lomborg also recommends research on the so-called geoengineering expand, even though he admits that geo- engineering is fraught with risks. The re-evaluation of the proposals of the Copenhagen Consensus founded Lomborg with a recent analysis from 2008 that have involved new ideas to combat global warming.

The Copenhagen Consensus Center, 2012 State funding was withdrawn by the new Social Democratic government Helle Thorning- Schmidt. Notwithstanding this, the project will continue. 2012 dietary supplements was given the highest Priority.

Controversies

Lomborg's comments on climate change, both in Apocalypse No! and Cool it! been the target of criticism. Lomborg's interpretation of IPCC data has been criticized, among other things because of its selection of an average value of climate sensitivity. The American economist Frank Ackerman devoted an entire chapter of his book, Can We Afford the Future? of 2010, the criticism of Lomborg's Cool It! . In it, he threw Lomborg et al lack of expertise in the field of economics, one -sided selection of literature and sources ( both in terms of economics and climatology) before and an over-emphasis on cost-benefit analyzes. Another economist, Partha Dasgupta, Lomborg mentioned in the context of the economic climate model DICE by William Nordhaus ' DICE influenced Mr. Bjørn Lomborg, which, although it would be understandably tempting to assume that in itself is not reason is DICE not to be taken seriously. "

Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker threw Lomborg before, using inappropriate comparisons and misleading figures to play down social and environmental problems. In August 2013 criticized the science journalist John Rennie, Lomborg was the climate scientist Stephen Schneider quoted as saying that the wrong impression is created that Schneider was for lying to the public about the results of climate science. At a protest Lomborg towards Rennie issued a detailed opinion. The most comprehensive critique of Lomborg's scientific work laid Howard Friel ago. In one published by Yale University Press publication, he analyzed passages from Lomborg's book The Skeptical Environmentalist and Cool It it. Friel came to the conclusion that Lomborg repeatedly misquoting or selectively and the scientific status of research on global warming systematically distorted.

Private

Lomborg is gay and eats vegetarian. He has participated as a prominent Danish gay also in information and image campaigns on homosexuality in Denmark and sees this as his civic duty to eliminate prejudice. Even in formal situations occurs Lomborg on in jeans and T- shirt.

Awards

Lomborg was named in November 2001 as a "Global Leader for Tomorrow " at the World Economic Forum and mentioned at the 2002 Business Week as an agenda setter. TIME magazine led him in 2004 to among the world's 100 most influential people in 2008 as the American journal of international politics Foreign Policy and Prospect magazine, 2012, he wwurde again at the Foreign Policy into the top 100 of the world's major intellectuals gelistet.Auch of The Guardian named him in 2009 as a major Umeltschützer.

Publications

• Verdens sande tilstand. Centrum, Viby ( Jutland ) 1998, ISBN 8758311149th
• The Skeptical Environmentalist. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York 2001, ISBN 0521010683rd German: Apocalypse No! How to really develop the human resources. To cleats, Lüneburg 2002, ISBN 3-934920-18-7.
• Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist 's Guide to Global Warming. Alfred A. Knopf Publishing Group, New York 2007, ISBN 0-307266923. German: Cool it! Why we should keep a cool head despite climate change. DVA, Munich 2008, ISBN 3-421-04353-1.

• Global Crises, Global Solutions. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York 2004, ISBN 0521606144th
• How to Spend $ 50 Billion to Make the World a Better Place. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York 2006, ISBN 0521685710th
• Smart Solutions to Climate Change: Comparing Costs and Benefits. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge & New York, 2010.

Literature on Lomborg

• Howard Friel: The Lomborg Deception: Setting the Record Straight About Global Warming. Yale University Press, New Haven 2010, ISBN 978-0300161038.