‘Follow the Science’ Leads to Ruin

This is what global warming looks like, opinion pieces quickly declared in both Politico and CNN about devastating Hurricane Harvey. A week later, news media around the globe and politicians were saying the exact same thing about Hurricane Irma.

Jumping the gun on linking disasters to climate change is dangerous. It points us toward policies that will have little to no effect at reducing future devastation. 

The science is clear but also nuanced: Climate change will worsen some extreme weather events, and it will improve others.

Watching the news, you get the sense that climate change is making the planet unlivable. We are bombarded with images of floods, droughts, storms and wildfires.

In an effort to minimise the effects of climate change, countries in the developed world are chasing net-zero at all costs, causing high energy prices and reduced energy consumption. The problem? In this video, Bjorn Lomborg explains how, across the world, it is countries with the highest energy consumption that create the most wealth, and it is those with the most wealth that are most able to care for the environment. By enacting policies that reduce energy availability and increase cost, the 'net-zero' agenda is preventing the very thing it aims to achieve.