Lomborg op-ed in Wall Street Journal: Global Warming and Adaptability

Wall Street Journal OPINION DECEMBER 12, 2011

Global Warming and Adaptability Any carbon deal to replace Kyoto would have a negligible impact on climate in coming decades.

By BJORN LOMBORG The Durban pit-stop in the endless array of climate summits has just ended, and predictably it reaffirmed the United Nations' strong belief that the most important response to global warming is to secure a strong deal to cut carbon emissions. What is almost universally ignored, however, is that if we want to help real people overcome real problems we need to focus first on adaptation. The Durban agreement is being hailed as a diplomatic victory. Yet it essentially concedes defeat, leaving any hard decisions to the far end of the decade when other politicians will have to deal with it. For nearly 20 years, the international community has tried to negotiate commitments to carbon cuts, with almost nothing to show for it. (...)