Showing 1 - 10 of 32
The biggest killer you never considered
Oped, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 28/06/2024
» Some of the world's big challenges get a lot of attention. Climate change, war and immigration are constantly in the news and receive large funding from states and private philanthropies. Other significant problems like tuberculosis and nutrition receive less airtime and awareness but count among major global priorities, with funding allocated.
Eyeing climate change, follow science, warily
Oped, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 06/06/2024
» We endlessly hear the flawed assertion that because climate change is real, we should "follow the science" and end fossil fuel use. We hear this claim from politicians who favour swift carbon cuts, and from natural scientists themselves, as when the editor-in-chief of Nature insists "The science is clear -- fossil fuels must go".
Politicising novel solutions to climate change
News, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 13/05/2024
» Climate studies are increasingly becoming politicised. Harvard University recently shut down a key geoengineering research project because of intense backlash, despite the college's aspiration to become "a global beacon for climate change."
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.
Rich world raids development funds for climate
Oped, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 27/01/2024
» Too many rich-world politicians and climate campaigners forget that much of the world remains mired in poverty and hunger. Yet, rich countries are increasingly replacing their development aid with climate spending. The World Bank, whose primary goal is to help people out of poverty, has now announced it will divert 45% of its funding toward climate change, shifting some US$40 billion annually away from poverty and hunger.
COP28 won't admit real cost of net zero
News, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 06/12/2023
» The spectacle of another annual climate conference is getting underway in Dubai. Like Kabuki theater, performative set pieces lead from one to the other: politicians and celebrities arrive by private jets; speakers predict imminent doom; hectoring NGOs cast blame; political negotiations become fraught and inevitably go overtime; and finally: the signing of a new agreement that participants hope and pretend will make a difference.
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.
Best buys in health, development
News, Published on 03/07/2023
» The Global Goals are a phenomenal idea. They're what happened when the UN came together and said: "Here are the world's biggest problems, and here is how we're going to measure progress on them." The 17 goals include promises to end extreme poverty and hunger, fix climate change and education, and reduce inequality and corruption.
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.
We need to stay on track for a healthier future
Oped, Published on 31/05/2023
» Over the course of the 20th century, tobacco smoking killed around 100 million people, most of whom lived in today's rich countries. Today the health burdens of smoking are moving from high-income to low- and middle-income countries. Some estimates even suggest that one billion people could die from tobacco use over the 21st century.