September 2023 Friday’s e-links: A Skeptical Environmentalist

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I like to think of them as my e-links:

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Friday’s e-links 09/22/23

For decades, I’ve read Bjorn Lomborg’s books. The head of the Copenhagen Consensus,  he approaches climate issues with a practicality. From The Skeptical Environmentalist in 1998 to Best Things First in 2023, I’ve always followed his opinion of climate initiatives. In Best Things First, he tells us the 12 best policies that will make the world a better place. Starting with dollars, he calculates that the annual cost for his 12 policies will ascend from $30 billion to $50 billion. Equally crucially, he looks at non-financial costs like the time it takes a mom to be sure her kids are vaccinated. Quantifying them, he believes they are $6 billion annually.

The reason today’s e-link takes us to Dr. Lomborg’s Best Things First returns me to his 1998 book. Whether considering the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, malaria, or cheaper food, we can support initiatives and also remain skeptical. Precisely because Dr. Lomborg is a “provocateur,” the FT journalist Martin Wolf included Best Things First in his Best Summer Books list.