The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World

I think there is a reason for the disgust of many scientists. Lomborg attacks the evidence of several kinds of environmental catastrophe. The scientists, on the other hand, begin from a conservative point of view in their concern for the mere possibility of irreparable damage to the earth. They are obviously correct to realize that we cannot afford to lose the earth, and we should therefore be wary of any significant perturbation made by mankind.

I believe that the scientists get angry because Lomborg refutes their favorite arguments in favor of strict environmental policies, those which purport that a catastrophe has already begun. Lomborg, on the other hand, does not understand that the strongest argument is that we can always be wrong.

We cannot afford a mistake which destroys our only viable planet, which is why we must limit the global impact of our activities. But this is not the point addresed by either Lomborg or his critics.

Lomborg has done a significant service in pointing out some flaws and biases in scientific research, but you would learn more by following the debates than by reading this large, tendentious book.


Doom for the doomsayers   July 14, 2004
Weiner Doggie (Norman, OK United States)
3 out of 6 found this review helpful

This excellent book illustrates that the world isn't on the verge of some "Day After Tommorrow" Apocalypse. If you need this proven to you, if you're skeptical of the skeptics, you should read this book w/ an open mind. Many environmentalists are sincere--however, many are members of a "secular" cult, reverse-evangelicals, who have a God (Mother Nature), a Devil (Man), prophets (Ehrlich, Nader), demons (Capitalists), a way of salvation (Green Socialism), and a nightmare Armageddon (when Nature takes her vengeance on man's greed). The former, the reasonable people should read this book, because they can be persuaded by Lomborg's most important thesis: that the solution to whatever environmental problems we face, will come from economic growth, not anti-industrialism, anti-globalization.

The Kyoto Treaty is not the solution, but would actually exacerbate the problem of Global Warming by restraining technological development and human employment. You want a worldwide Great Depression, put the Kyoto Treaty in practice, and then see if mankind has the collective resources to find alternative sources of fuel or, heck, build new air conditioners. Lomborg shows that as the economy grows, so does environmental problems like pollution reduce.

He also shows that the warming and cooling of the Earth is cyclical, possibly (or probably) tied to Sunspots. At the end of the Medieval Period, the earth was as warm as it is now (possibly warmer), and 1400-1900 the Earth was in a mini-Ice Age. London had worse pollution in 1700 than today. I guess you could say that the internal combustion engine is so metaphysically evil, so powerful, that it's vile emissions travelled back in time to warm the earth around 1300 and to pollute London in 1700. But more likely, the .6% increase in worldwide temperature since 1900 is the result of the workings of the solar system and not evil, vile technology.


Those who panned the book didn't read it   July 6, 2004
Scott Wales (United States)
4 out of 7 found this review helpful

Outstanding analysis. Lomborg makes a point of using the same data sources (mainly the UN development agencies) that the rabid "don't confuse me with facts" environmentalists use. General complaints about Lomborg by fanatics are "uses discredited studies" and "picks and chooses data". The book has 2930 footnotes and the bibliography is 72 pages long, so how he left anything out boggles me. Lomborg gives the reader ALL the facts, and shows that our priorities should be based upon the data, not religious zealotry for environmental concerns.


The "Hidden" Agenda   July 2, 2004
Adam Adamou (Toronto, ON, CANADA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

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.