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The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World
Bjorn Lomborg
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Description for The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World
Paperback. A controversial, wide ranging and clearly documented survey of the state of the global environment. Num Pages: 540 pages, 9 tables. BIC Classification: KCHS; KCM; KCN; TQ. Category: (G) General (US: Trade); (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). Dimension: 247 x 173 x 32. Weight in Grams: 1056. Measuring the Real State of the World. 540 pages, 9 tables. A controversial, wide ranging and clearly documented survey of the state of the global environment. Cateogry: (G) General (US: Trade); (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). BIC Classification: KCHS; KCM; KCN; TQ. Dimension: 247 x 173 x 32. Weight: 1062.
The Skeptical Environmentalist challenges widely held beliefs that the environmental situation is getting worse and worse. The author, himself a former member of Greenpeace, is critical of the way in which many environmental organisations make selective and misleading use of the scientific evidence. Using the best available statistical information from internationally recognised research institutes, Bjorn Lomborg systematically examines a range of major environmental problems that feature prominently in headline news across the world. His arguments are presented in non-technical, accessible language and are carefully backed up by over 2500 footnotes allowing readers to check sources for themselves. Concluding that there ... Read moreare more reasons for optimism than pessimism, Bjorn Lomborg stresses the need for clear-headed prioritisation of resources to tackle real, not imagined problems. The Skeptical Environmentalist offers readers a non-partisan stocktaking exercise that serves as a useful corrective to the more alarmist accounts favoured by campaign groups and the media. Show Less
Product Details
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Place of Publication
Cambridge, United Kingdom
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About Bjorn Lomborg
Bjorn Lomborg is an Associate Professor of Statistics in the Department of Political Science, University of Aarhus, Denmark. He has published in international journals in the fields of game theory and computer simulations. He has given invited lectures on the subjects discussed in The Skeptical Environmentalist in leading universities in North America and Europe following the success of the original ... Read moreDanish edition which has had a significant impact on the terms of the environmental debate within Scandinavia. Show Less
Reviews for The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World
'This is one of the most valuable books on public policy - not merely on environmental policy - to have been written for the intelligent reader in the past ten years ... The Skeptical Environmentalist is a triumph.' The Economist '... a superbly documented and readable book.' Wall Street Journal 'The Skeptical Environmentalist should be read by every environmentalist, so ... Read morethat the appalling errors of fact the environmental movement has made in the past are not repeated. A brilliant and powerful book.' Matt Ridley, author of Genome 'The Skeptical Environmentalist is perhaps the most important book about the environment since Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (1962) awakened the world to the dangers of unrestrained economic growth.' Jason Cowley, New Statesman 'Bjorn Lomborg is an outstanding representative of the 'new breed' of political scientists - mathematically-skilled and computer-adept. In this book he shows himself also to be a hard-headed, empirically-oriented analyst. Surveying a vast amount of data and taking account of a wide range of more and less informed opinion about environmental threats facing the planet, he comes to a balanced assessment of which ones are real and which over-hyped. In vigorous informal style, he indicates what needs to be done to address the real environmental hazards - and what needs not to be done about those turning out to be pseudo-problems.' Jack Hirshleifer, University of California, Los Angeles 'A new book is about to overturn our most basic assumptions about the world's environment. Far from going to hell in a handcart, it is improving by almost all measures. Those things not getting better are getting worse at a slower rate.' Anthony Browne, Observer 'Lomborg's challenge will have to be met ... he has given an important challenge to the scientific establishment that is not only good for science, but damned necessary to it.' Fortean Times 'When Lomborg concludes that '... the loss of the world's rainforests, of fertile agricultural land, the ozone layer and of the climate balance are terrible ...' I agree. But we also need debate, and this book provides us with that in generous amounts. If you, like I do, belong to the people who dare to think the world is making some progress, but always with mistakes to be corrected, this book makes important reading.' Lars Kristoferson, Secretary General, WWF Sweden 'Lomborg's book has drawn considerable attention. Although it may cause problems for the more militant and political environmentalists, it should be welcomed by anyone genuinely concerned about the environment. ... Lomborg's book sheds needed light on the real state of the world. I recommend it to anyone interested in our global environment ... The Skeptical Environmentalist is the most valuable book available in many years on public policy in general, not only environmental policy in particular. It should be required reading for all legislators, government bureaucrats and corporate executives who preside over the ever-increasing array of environmental regulations and politics. John P. Bluemle, Geotimes 'Whatever your standpoint, The Skeptical Environmentalist will make indispensable reading.' Mail on Sunday 'A brilliant book ... All in all, this is a must-have/must read book. Don't take my word for it. Check it out for yourself.' Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy '... his book is the Christmas present for a rational future.' The Chemical Engineer '... it should be welcomed by anyone genuinely concerned about the environment.' Environmental Geology 'The Skeptical Environmentalist marks a critical environmental moment ... We can forget those dreary old idols: Paul Ehrlich, Lester Brown with his Worldwatch Institute, Greenpeace and all the others. They have been exiled into the darkness. Eco-optimism can begin to rise over the Earth. After Lomborg, the environmental movement will begin to wither.' National Post 'Bjorn Lomborg's book is hugely beneficial for a debate that has been one-sided.' The Financial Times This is one of the most valuable books on public policy - not merely on environmental policy - to have been written for the intelligent general reader in the past ten years. The Skeptical Environmentalist is a triumph. The Economist ... a superbly documented and readable book. The Wall Street Journal ... it is a surprise to meet someone who calls himself an environmentalist but who asserts that things are getting better ... Strange to say, the author of this happy thesis is not a steely-eyed economist at a conservative Washington think tank but a vegetarian, backpack-toting academic who was a member of Greenpeace for four years ... The primary target of the books, a substantial work of analysis with almost 3000 footnotes, are statements made by environemtal organizations like the Worldwatch Institute, the World Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace. He refers to the persistently gloomy fate from these groups as the Litany, a collection of statements that he argues are exaggerations or outright myths. The New York Times The Skeptical Environmentalist should be read by every environmentalist, so that the appalling errors of fact the environmental movement has made in the past are not repeated. A brilliant and powerful book. Matt Ridley, author of Genome Lomborg pulls off the remarkable feat of welding the techno-optimism of the Internet age with a lefty's concern for the fate of the planet. Rolling Stone Bjorn Lomborg is an outstanding representative of the 'new breed' of political scientists - mathematically-skilled and computer-adept. In this book he shows himself also to be a hardheaded, empirically oriented analyst. Surveying a vast amount of data and taking account of a wide range of more and less informed opinion about environmental threats facing the planet, he comes to a balanced assessment of which ones are real and which are over-hyped. In vigorous and what needs not to be done about those turning out to be pseudo-problems. Jack Hirshleifer, University of California, Los Angeles Bjorn Lomborg raises the important question whether the costs of remedying the damage caused by environmental pollution are higher than the costs of the pollution itself. The answer is by no means straightforward. He has written a pioneering book. Richard Rosecrance, University of California, Los Angeles When Lomborg concludes that 'the loss of the world's rainforests, of fertile agricultural land, the ozone layer and of the climate balance are terrible' I agree. But we also need debate, and this book provides us with that in generous amounts, incl 2428 footnotes. If you, like I do, belong to the people who dare to think the world is making some progress, but always with mistakes to be corrected, this book makes important reading. Lars Kristoferson, Secretary General, WWF Sweden ... probably the most important book on the environment ever written. booksonline Lomborg is right on his points, that his critique of much green activism and its reporting in the media is just, and, above all, that where there is room for disagreement, Mr Lomborg invites and facilitates discussion, rather than seeking to silence it. The Economist Show Less
