Former Climate Sceptic now urging action to stop global warming

His new book “Smart Solutions to Climate Change,” published by Cambridge University Press, studies the costs and benefits of various options dealing with climate change……..

Lomborg Sees No U-Turn in Renewable Energy, Carbon Tax Support, Bloomberg, By Gelu Sulugiuc – Sep 20, 2010 Danish Social Scientist Bjoern Lomborg “We should be focusing on investing dramatically more in research and development in green-energy technology,” Lomborg, a professor who runs the Copenhagen Consensus Center, said. Bjoern Lomborg, the Danish social scientist known for his opposition to efforts to cut emissions, said taxing carbon dioxide and raising investments in renewable energy are the best ways to limit global warming.

The author of the best-seller, “The Skeptical Environmentalist,” in a new book advocated global spending on developing renewable-energy technologies of about $100 billion a year and new carbon taxes instead of cap-and-trade programs.

“We should be focusing on investing dramatically more in research and development in green-energy technology,” Lomborg, a professor who runs the Copenhagen Consensus Center, said in an interview in the Danish capital. “I’ve always said global warming is real, that it’s man-made and that it’s an important problem. But the current approach is just not working.”…..

His new book “Smart Solutions to Climate Change,” published by Cambridge University Press, studies the costs and benefits of various options dealing with climate change……..

The $100 billion for renewable research should be financed by a global carbon tax of $7 per metric ton of CO2 that should replace cap-and-trade systems such as the European Trading System, Lomborg said. “This is a theoretically beautiful point, but of course it’s not going to happen in real life.”

Lomborg Sees No U-Turn in Renewable Energy, Carbon Tax Support – Bloomberg

September 21, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | climate change, Denmark | climate change, energy efficiency, global warming, renewable energy

2 Comments »

I’m confused. This is an anti-nuclear site but Bjoern Lomborg in on record as supporting funding for nuclear plants, http://www.grist.org/article/2010-08-30-skeptical-environmentalist-bjrn-lomborg-reverses-his-climate-ske/, in addition to renewables.

Comment by Lenny | September 21, 2010 | Reply
Yeah – I’m a bit confused about this myself.
The thing is – originally the nuclear and coal lobbies were well aligned , as they saw “energy shortage” as an impetus for both. In this scenario, nuclear was gradually to take over as coal supplies lessened – or something like that.
So both were “climate sceptics”

More recently, the nuclear lobby has chosen Climate Change as its impetus. This is now, at last, causing a rift between the two lobbies. Best example of this is Australia’s BHP Billiton CEO, Marius Kloppers, coming out in favour of a carbon tax, (in order to promote BHP’s plans for a mega-sized uranium mine in South Australia)

You’re quite right. Bjorn Lomborg might be just jumping on the Climate Change bandwagon as “front” for his pro nuclear stance.

Or – he might be genuine, (which I suspect is the case). Either way, I believe that he is right to advocate “green” technologies. We wait for further info on what exactly does Bjorn Lomborg include as “green”

Comment by Christina MacPherson | September 22, 2010 | Reply