Interview with Lomborg in Policy (CIS-Australia)

In January 2010, Lomborg was interviewed by Joel Malan, an Australian now living in Copenhagen. JM: The Skeptical Environmentalist drew on your background in statistics to reach a more holistic interpretation of existing research. I understand you are not a climatologist as such, but what contribution can statistics make to the climate change debate?

BL: It’s about looking at what are the actual and aggregated impacts. Very often, we look at only specific instances such as more heat-wave deaths, which are absolutely true, but we fail to remember that fewer people will be dying from cold. We need to bring together both sets of facts. That’s what statistics does. It makes sure you count everything, not just what seems convenient to the particular point you want to make. It brings together all the relevant data and keeps us honest. (...)