|  | Author: Bjorn Lomborg
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
List Price: $29.99
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Rating:  333 reviews
Sales Rank: 12860
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Pages: 540
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.3
Dimensions (in): 10.2 x 6.9 x 1.3
ISBN: 0521010683
Dewey Decimal Number: 363.7
EAN: 9780521010689
ASIN: 0521010683
Publication Date: September 10, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Looks Brand New Besides a SMALL Amount of Cover Wear on Edge! Cover Looks Beautiful! No Highlighting, Writing, Missing or Torn Pages! Non-Smoker Home! No Water Damage!
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Showing reviews 11-15 of 333
 What is the REAL state of the environment and what should we do about it? April 18, 2008
J. Green (Los Angeles, California)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
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.
Whether Right or Wrong, An Honest Attempt March 24, 2008
DonAthos
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is the kind of book about which everyone is guaranteed to have a strong opinion.
By "everyone" I also mean to include those who have not ever read it. There will be those, hostile to the environmentalist movement, who will take the book's very existence as proof that there's no cause for any alarm (and maybe that there is no such thing as Global Warming). There will also be those, sympathetic to the environmentalist movement, who will not trouble themselves to read Lomborg's material, but will instead scour the web to find and then recite "refutations" of Lomborg's claims. To that person, it will count as a complete "refutation" if a climatologist somewhere (who may or may not have read the book himself) says that the book has made an error in one of its hundreds of references.
Actual readers of the book, who will undoubtedly feel strongly about it too (one way or the other), will at least know that Lomborg treats the matters of discussion fairly, and with integrity. I am sure that there are parts in which he errs -- I think Lomborg would easily agree to that, too -- but it is clear from both his tone and also the exhaustive and impressive depth of his research and presentation that his errors are honestly made.
Libertarians looking to adopt the work ought to know that Lomborg does not say that there is no Global Warming. Rather, he concedes that point, and points out that there are often negative consequences to problems in our environment, including Global Warming. Instead, Lomborg intends to measure the scope of these problems via scientific data, and compare their projected costs against the costs of taking other measures to combat them. He also makes the claim that, in general, things are actually getting better in the world, not worse. He does so step by step, issue by issue, datum by datum. We might be uncomfortable with such a conclusion, for whatever reason, but Lomborg's argument is substantial.
Whether Lomborg is ultimately right about every statistic he cites, and every conclusion he reaches, (and it would be remarkable if he were), this book is a thorough discussion of relevant information about a host of topics related to environmentalism. Lomborg speaks with an honest voice, and this book ought to be read by all those with a true interest in environmental policy, and a belief that true understanding means understanding all sides of a given story.
Four stars, instead of five, for being a bit too repetitious and dry at times. Still -- very readable, given that statistical analysis can be fairly dull.
 Defending fossil fuel industry revenues. November 22, 2007
Preston C. Enright (Denver, CO United States)
2 out of 25 found this review helpful
I've heard Lomborg all over the corporate radio airwaves. More recently, I heard him on a community radio station (KGNU) debating the author of Boiling Point: How Politicians, Big Oil and Coal, Journalists and Activists Are Fueling the Climate Crisis--And What We Can Do to Avert Disaster. Lomberg doesn't sound as authoritative when he is challenged by a skeptic of the global warming skeptics. Nevertheless, I'll give Lomborg an additional star beyond the lowest ranking for debating the issue, and for recognizing that climate change is a serious issue. At this point, even the Department of Defense is issueing reports on global warming and its ramifications. Andrew Marshall, a leading Pentagon strategist, and others have urged that the U.S. be part of a global transformation away from fossil fuels and toward renewables and conservation Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution.
If not for the improvements we've already made in efficiency, many of Erlich's predictions would've come to pass. Moreover, many people feel there has been a population bomb and that it is creating unsustainable stresses on natural resources Maybe One: A Case for Smaller Families.
There are many weaknesses with Lomborg's positions. He regularly suggests that the "costs" of transforming our economy are too high. One problem with that argument is that transforming our economy will save most companies a lot of money, and increase profits Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage. Secondly, it is only certain sectors of the economy that will experience "costs" to their revenue growth, that is the oil and coal industries who have been manipulating markets and devastating ecosystems for generations Internal Combustion: How Corporations and Governments Addicted the World to Oil and Derailed the Alternatives. So, in a sense, it isn't the "costs" that concern them, it's the savings that other businesses and consumers will experience.
Lomborg also would rather we spend money on things like malaria reduction campaigns, instead of investing in the research and development of solar. Fortunately, our options aren't either/or proposals. We can reduce malaria by investing in bed-nets, and reintroducing predators of mosquitos (like amphibians, bats and birds that were wiped out by DDT. The Rachel Carson smear is another industry deception. See Extra! - the Newsletter of Fair). We can also shift our taxdollars away from massive subsidies for nuclear, coal and oil and towards wind, solar and tidal energy, mass transit, and "new urbanism." There are all sorts of approaches to this major threat to our security. And if Gore and others are wrong and it turns out that burning fossil fuels isn't a problem, then, we'll still end up with a cleaner and sustainable economy, and we won't have to deal with the wars for resources, the destruction of mountain tops for coal, oil spills and air pollution.
For more solutions: Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century.
For peak oil info:A Crude Awakening - The Oil Crash
And two magazines packed with great green stories: Plenty Magazine and Sustainable Industries Journal
 the skeptical environmentalist October 25, 2007
Mike Strand (Oakdale, MN)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Excellent distillation of the dizzying array of statistics available on the state of our planet. He lends credibility to many environmental issues by removing the hype and spin and looking at the facts. With over 2000 citations he draws from a wide variety of sources. When the facts dispute the hype he quotes directly from the studies that the hype is based on. The upshot is that there are important issues to confront and there are optimally effective strategies to deal with those threats to our planet. It is very dense so what you can do is start each chapter by reading the conclusion and then when your interest is sufficiently piqued you can read the relevant sections. I couldn't put this book down!
Thank goodness for a voice of reason August 11, 2007
Mark Lorenz (Apex, NC United States)
6 out of 18 found this review helpful
No one denies that there is warming. What *is* being disputed is what are the causes.
Fact: solar changes are far more significant than human causes.
Fact: there have always been changes in overall temperatures.
Fact: many of the temperature collection locations are ill-chosen (changes over time) and ill-maintained (many in Russia e.g.).
Fact: many of the suggested "fixes" for warming will do little for global temperatures, but will be catastrophic for the economy.
Showing reviews 11-15 of 333
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