The High Cost of Green

Bjorn Lomborg in a conversation on the topic Hot Takes on Global Warming with the students of Amsterdam University.

Climate change is one of the most defining challenges of our time, but what’s really the best way to tackle the issue and create a more sustainable future for all?

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.

In 2015, the world’s leaders attempted to address the major problems facing mankind by setting the Sustainable Development Goals — a compilation of 169 targets to be hit by 2030.