Bjorn Lomborg is a self-described socialist and Director of the Copenhagen Consensus Centre, an institution that seeks to view social justice at an objective economics level - guiding national governments and policy makers to better understand the exact good that different proposed solutions can produce per dollar.
A few years ago, Lomborg became an instant right-wing media darling for his book, Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming. But I'm not sure any of these pundits actually read the book, because Lomborg is clear about his socialistic outlook, and his argument is merely one of economic priorities.
Lomborg just as quickly became the whipping boy for left-wing vitriol - those who believed he was simply ignoring science. I'm quite certain none of these pundits read the book. Because when Lomborg released his latest work regarding the same issue, Smart Solutions to Climate Change: Comparing Costs and Benefits, people went berserk.
"Oh, now he believes in global warming?!" they scoffed. He always did. That was clear to anyone who read "Cool It", which is now becoming a documentary. But the trailer above (which seems to pitch Lomborg as the anti-Al Gore) makes me nervous that right-wing money backed the film. Which is a shame, because it's the very people that Al Gore convinced with An Inconvenient Truth that need to now see this movie and hear Lomborg's thoughtful cost-benefit solutions to the problem.
If guys like Lomborg became the policy wonks of the Democratic party in America, I would be a much happier man. From a libertarian standpoint, their methods of spending might still be mere legalized theft. But at least it would no longer be nearly so wasteful.
Eric Olsen,
Regular Columnist, THL
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