Lomborg's op-ed in Forbes: Help the Poor with Free Trade

The goal of Copenhagen Consensus 2012 was to set priorities among a series of proposals for confronting ten great global challenges. A panel of economic experts, comprising some of the world’s most distinguished economists, was invited to consider these issues. The ten challenge papers, commissioned from acknowledged authorities in each area of policy, included nearly 40 proposals for the panel’s consideration. During the conference the panel examined these proposals in detail.

Poverty is humanity’s cruelest affliction. If you are extremely poor, you can’t afford to avoid even the easily curable diseases that cause every sixth human death. Your lungs are likely to be filled with indoor air pollution, because, like 2.7 billion others, you cook and keep warm with fuels like dung and wood – with the same effect as smoking two packs of cigarettes every day. An inadequate diet makes your children grow up physically stunted and impairs their cognitive development, costing 4-8 IQ points on average.

2011-06-14 How to Set Goals

COPENHAGEN – At this century’s start, leaders from every country agreed to pursue the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. The ambition was to improve significantly the lot of the planet’s most disadvantaged citizens before 2015. (...) Read it online BL Op-ed 2011-6 June How to set Goals.pdf