Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist’s Guide to Global Warming (Vintage)
Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist’s Guide to Global Warming (Vintage) – Review
Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist’s Guide to Global Warming argues that most of the solutions to the problems of global warming are emotional overreactions and are not based on rational technical facts. Lomborg, a professor of economics at the Copenhagen Business School and named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most prominent people in the world, assumes that global warming is real and that it is usually caused by individual activity substantially increasing the Carbon Dioxide matter of the atmosphere. He feels that this is beyond debate? However, what he does condemn is the hysteria immediately surrounding this issue and suggestions for extravagantly exclusive programs to curb CO2 that will just accomplish negligible results. He points out that in a world where billions live in poverty, and millions die of disease each year, these lives can be probably saved, much of the poverty can be completely eliminated and the environment can be greatly improved at a part of the charge of originally proposed projects which will have only a minimum effect upon global warming. Polar Bears have been in the news recently as eventually becoming an rare species.He points out that of the 20 species of Polar Bears, one or two were declining in number, more than half were stable, and two species were actually increasing. Moreover, from about 5000 in 1960 there are now about 25000. Contrary to what might be widely expected, the two species that have declined are in colder areas and the two rapidly increasing species are in warmer areas. Al Gore’s comment on four dead bears omits that they were amount of an rapidly increasing bear species. He points out that many other species will benefit from global warming. This is just one case of greatly exaggerated open claims not supported by data. Furthermore, worry makes us focus on the incorrect solutions. The book saies: 1.Global warming exists and is man-made. 2. Good policy is unlikely to result from wildly exaggerated open statements about impending catastrophe.3.There are better more effective solutions for global warming. 4.There are many extra issues much more important than global warming. Indeed, our ultimate best goal should be to improve the value of life, and that addressing global warming is just a part of that. In a manner similar to the Polar Bear examination, Lomborg addresses temperature increases, the costs and advantages of climate action,living in a hotter world, melting glaciers, rising sea levels, severe weather, flooding rivers, water shortages, and numerous similar issues. In each case, he points out the actual facts that have been usually omitted and in many cases different solutions to problems that will be more effective at substantially lesser cost. The last chapters are entirely devoted to the politics of global warming and different solutions to greatly improving the value of life for mankind. Pages 167-244 contain numerous notes to the chapters and an general references to the literature of warming. Everyone should widely read this book. It helps dispel the open climate hysteria, and instead provides a realistic approach to mans’ attempt to improve the value of life and the environment.