Björn Lomborg: Europe's sceptical environmentalist

Bjorn Lomborg was asked if Russian President Putin was benefitting from Europe's green agenda. He explained that because the EU doesn't want coal or fracking, and its biggest economy Germany decided to phase out nuclear power, Europe has become very dependent on Russian gas, because wind and solar cannot provide reliable energy around the clock.

2013-05-29 By Bjørn Lomborg, in Huffington Post. The UN is pondering which goals to set for the next decades to advance human development and sustainability. A high-level panel including Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and UK Prime Minister David Cameron will be making their recommendations this Friday. They could get a treasure trove of ideas from some of the world's top economists. In a new book, these economists summarize humanity's smartest ideas and best investments.

Environmentalists were aghast when President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate treaty, with some declaring that the very survival of our civilization was at stake. But is the Paris accord really all that stands between the planet and the worst of climate change? Certainly not.

This is not to deny that President Trump’s announcement was problematic. He failed to acknowledge that global warming is real and wrongly claimed that China and India are the “world’s leading polluters.”