The Best Actions to Empower Girls and Reduce Poverty

Bjorn Lomborg joined Purdue President Mitch Daniels in an hour long discussing the world, energy, and climate. The talk was part of Purdue Convocations presidential lecture series. 

Initiated in 1902, Purdue Convocations is among the oldest collegiate performing arts presenters in the United States. Each year, Convocations offers the region 30--40 performances of widely varying genres.

Climate change has been blamed for a dizzying array of absurd woes, from the dwindling number of customers at Bulgarian brothels to the death of the Loch Ness monster. Most of us can see through these silly headlines, but it’s far harder to parse the more serious claims when they’re repeated in good faith by well-meaning campaigners.

Today there is a commonplace — and wrong — impression that inequality is inexorably rising. Oxfam just contributed to the misunderstanding by claiming that the richest eight people own the same amount as half the world’s population.