Environment improves as more nations prosper — the greatest polluter is poverty

Bjorn Lomborg is the president of the Copenhagen Consensus Center (‪@CopenhagenConsensus‬ ) a think tank focused on cost effective solutions to the world's biggest problems.
Bjorn is the author of several bestselling books including "The Skeptical Environmentalist", "False Alarm" and recently “Best Things First.”

For three decades, climate campaigners have fought to make fossil fuels so expensive that people would be forced to abandon them. Their dream is becoming reality: Energy prices are spiraling out of control and will soon get even worse. Yet we are no closer to solving climate change.

It’s human nature to assign blame for catastrophic events. In medieval times, witches were blamed for weather woes. Trials and burnings increased when weather got worse. In hurricane season today, many find a scapegoat in global warming.

Pundits tell us “ignoring the science of climate change will hurt us” (Kristina Ball at NBC) and a Washington Post editorial declares the Trump administration complicit.