IQ2US debate about carbon emission Jan 15, 2009

2013-11-06 One of the longest-running big picture debates is between optimists and pessimists  arguing the state of the world. Pessimists  have constantly painted a dystopian future from Malthus and Jevons to the 1972 book Limits to Growth. Optimists have cheerfully pointed to how everything is getting better. 

2013-03-11 Electric cars have garnered a reputation as “zero emissions” vehicles --- but Bjorn Lomborg presents facts and figures that demonstrate the exact opposite. He shows that electric cars are hugely carbon intensive to manufacture. They have an extremely short driving distance, which means they are unreliable – so most consumers have not been interested in purchasing them (even with a generous tax credits of up to $7500).  Added to all of this, the cars barely differ from conventional cars as measured by their carbon emissions. 

By September, the world's 193 governments will meet in New York and agree on a set of ambitious, global targets for 2030. Over the next 15 years these targets will direct the $2.5 trillion to be spent on development assistance, as well as countless trillions in national budgets.