Showing 1 - 10 of 10
Why solar and wind are not winning
Oped, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 20/04/2024
» Despite us constantly being told that solar and wind are now the cheapest forms of electricity, governments around the world needed to spend US$1.8 trillion (66.3 trillion baht) on the green transition last year. "Wind and solar are already significantly cheaper than coal and oil" is how US President Joe Biden conveniently justifies spending hundreds of billions of dollars on green subsidies. Indeed, arguing that wind and solar is cheapest is a meme employed by green lobbyists, activists and politicians around the world. Unfortunately, as the $1.8 trillion price-tag shows, the claim is wildly deceptive.
Development goals need to be prioritised
Oped, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 20/09/2023
» The world is failing on its development promises. These are known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), agreed by all governments in 2015 to be achieved by 2030. Progress across all these promises -- including in areas as important as eradicating poverty and ending hunger -- is happening at less than one-fourth of the pledged speed. On current trends, the world will reach its 2030 promises half a century late.
Why malaria still persists in much of Africa
News, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 12/06/2023
» We think of malaria as a problem faced only by humid, hot countries. But just over a century ago, the disease thrived as far north as Siberia and the Arctic Circle, and was endemic in 36 states of the US. We don't have specific data that far back for Thailand, but back then, malaria is estimated to have killed 2.5 million people each year in the Western Pacific, Middle East and South Asia.
Two education policies to make a difference
News, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 15/05/2023
» One thing that taxpayers and politicians agree on practically everywhere is that more money should be spent on children's education. This seems like a no-brainer: better education means children get a better start in life. But we need to be careful. Many popular educational investments deliver little or no learning, while we rarely hear about the most effective investments.
The digital solution to corruption
News, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 27/03/2023
» Corruption is an enormous, global challenge, likely costing more than $1 trillion annually, or $120 (4,000 baht) for every person in the world. World leaders have long promised to tamp down on corruption, but unfortunately, we're getting nowhere. Now, new research identifies a surprisingly straight-forward, cheap way to reduce corruption that can also make countries hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars.
Time for a new 'green revolution'
Oped, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 24/02/2023
» One of humanity's biggest achievements in the last century was making a huge increase in food production. From 1900 to 2000, there was a six-fold jump in crop harvests while the global population increased less than four-fold, meaning that on average people today have around 50% more food available than their great, great grandparents.
Shifting climate costs to the world's poor
Oped, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 28/05/2021
» To tackle climate change, rich nations are promising to end fossil fuel use in 29 years. As this becomes excruciatingly costly, the G7 is now thinking about making the world's poor pay for it. That will go badly.
Setting goals to help world's poorest
News, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 16/09/2015
» In rich countries, the biggest causes of death are strokes, heart attacks and cancer, accounting for more than two-thirds of all deaths. But for the poorer world, people often assume that infectious diseases like diarrhoea, tuberculosis, Aids, malaria, measles and tetanus are the biggest killers.
How to tackle extreme poverty
News, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 04/08/2015
» Extreme poverty — by current reckoning, living on less than $1.25 (43 baht) a day — is a continuing problem for far too many people today. In Thailand, such poverty still afflicts 300,000 people, according to the World Bank.
Rolling out broadband access is money well spent
News, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 27/07/2015
» If you were setting global priorities, what would you choose? Chances are that you would go for high-profile issues like health, nutrition and education. Obviously, no-one is going to ignore pressing problems in these areas, but there are other targets which could make a real difference to people's lives. Perhaps surprisingly, one of these is broadband access.