Money or lives: at some point we must say ‘enough!’

It wasn’t that long ago when much of the global elite had conclusively decided that climate change was our world’s top priority. Then came a massive sideswiping by a global pandemic, of which we have only seen the first wave, along with an equally massive global recession. It serves as a timely reminder that an alarmism that cultivates one fear over others serves society poorly.

Dr. Bjorn Lomborg and Jordan B Peterson discuss a variety of topics in the realm of climate change and worldwide problems. We examine the claims made in his latest book False Alarm. Throughout the episode we touch on sustainable development goals, prioritizing problems for the world, achieving the highest return on investment, the apocalypse lens we apply to many global issues, making the poor richer, innovation, adaptation, selling and marketing solutions, and much more.

Across the world, countries have imposed social distancing regulations to avoid overwhelming the health care capacity during the coronavirus pandemic — the so-called “flatten the curve”. Such a policy can make a lot of sense.

The first peer-reviewed cost-benefit analysis of the US shows just that. It looks at moderate social distancing, an approach similar to Sweden’s. Here, social interaction is reduced about 40 per cent, allowing schools and work to stay open but dramatically reducing contacts in all other public areas.