U.N. Climate-Change Alarms Cast Little Light on Heat

Current climate action is more costly than inaction, even if politicians were smart. Bjorn Lomborg recently gave testimony to the US Senate in regard to the economic and budgetary consequences of climate change.The cost of climate action is likely to cost at least twice as much as climate inaction in this century. Lomborg presented how green energy research could show a way out of this dilemma.

The recent eruption of the Hunga volcano about 30 kilometers southeast of Tonga's Fonuafo'ou island raised the eyebrows of climate scientists around the globe. The volcano sent hundreds of thousands of tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, which can have a cooling effect on Earth.

For this Earth Day it is especially important we focus on the world's top priorities. In September, all 193 governments will meet at the UN to set targets for the world for the next 15 years in what is explicitly labeled "Sustainable Development Goals." So, it is worth looking at what we should do first. At my think tank, the Copenhagen Consensus, we've asked 60 teams of top economists including several Nobel laureates to evaluate the economic, social and environmental costs and benefits of the targets, so we can pick the best ones. Here is what we should do in environment.