010803 Book: The Skeptical Environmentalist ct

January 8, 2003

Book: The Skeptical Environmentalist

   ISBN: 0521010683
   Published by Cambridge University Press
   http://www.uk.cambridge.org/economics/lomborg/
   1st edition, published in 2001
   540 pages, Hb

Jacket Text

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 are 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.

Reviews

'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.'

- Professor Lars Kristoferson, Secretary General, WWF Sweden

'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