Review
"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." 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 3.000 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." Science of the Times/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

"Bjørn 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." Professor Jack Hirshleifer, Department of Economics, UCLA

"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

"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." Professor Lars Kristoferson, Secretary General, WWF Sweden

"Lomborg's book sheds needed light on the real state of the world. I recommend it to anyone interested in our global environment...the book is a credible attempt at refuting many of the more outrageous environmentalist claims--a point of view that is seldom heard. 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 policies." Geotimes

"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 Feb 2002


Jack Hirshleifer, University of California, Los Angeles
"...indicates what needs to be done to address the real environmental hazards..."

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Bj￯﾿ﾽrn Lomborg, a former member of Greenpeace, challenges widely held beliefs that the world environmental situation is getting worse and worse in his new book, The Skeptical Environmentalist. Using statistical information from internationally recognized research institutes, Lomborg systematically examines a range of major environmental issues that feature prominently in headline news around the world, including pollution, biodiversity, fear of chemicals, and the greenhouse effect, and documents that the world has actually improved. He supports his arguments with over 2500 footnotes, allowing readers to check his sources.

SYNOPSIS

Everyday, various opinions are expressed in the media regarding doubts over the Kyoto agreement and the international community's ethical responsibility to the future of the environment. In his controversial new book, The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World, Bjorn Lomborg, offers a fresh perspective to the debate and challenges the view that we are destroying our planet irrevocably by exploding the widely propagated myth tat the state of the environment continues to spiral downwards beyond our control.

Lomborg investigates a variety of issues, including:

Global Climate Change - Are we dealing with the problem in the right way? Resources - Are we living on borrowed time? GM Foods - Diaster or blessing? Waste - Are we running out of space? Forests - Are we losing them?

Lomborg answers such questions and stresses the need for clear-headed prioritization of resources to tackle real, not imagined, problems. The Skeptical Environmentalist is the result of extensive analysis of a wide range of statistical data and serves as a useful juxtaposition to the headline-grabbing examples used by advocacy groups and the media.

FROM THE CRITICS

Matt Ridley - The Daily Telegraph (London)

...he has put his conclusions in a remarkable book, probably the most important book on the environment ever written. Its importance lies partly in its relentless statistics. With 173 charts, nine tables and a staggering 2,930 footnotes, The Skeptical Environmentalist will be a source of reference for years to come. But it is also a readable, accessible and simple account of the state of the world, told as much in the illuminating charts as in the text itself. And it is a fascinating polemic, too.

Economist

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.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

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.  — Professor Jack Hirshleifer, Department of Economics, University of California, Los Angeles

Mark Ridley

The Skeptical Environmentalist should be read by every environmentalist so that the appaling errors of fact the environmental movement as made in the past are not repeated. A brilliant and powerful book.  — Matt Ridley, author of Genome

At last a book that gives the environment the scientific analysis it deserves, and provides understanding of the problem, the risks and the solutions. Essential reading.  — Professor Lewis Wolpert, Department of Anatomy and Biology, University College London