Question

Why does Bjorn Lomborg think we need to be more realistic about climate change? How have current governments failed with respect to their past promises to reduce emissions?

Answer 1

Bjorn Lomborg is of the view that most of the talk on climate change is scaremongering and intended at kindling fear, and also that most of the researches cited and shared on climate change use incorrect or pessimistic prediction parameters, based on the assumption that human beings will never take the measures needed to tackle the issue of climate change. He says that many researches arrive at outcome figures that are inflated because of precisely this reason. Moreover, he also says that humanity is in a much better place than it has ever been, and that this fear-based messaging is not going to be effective in empowering people to believe that they can make a change and to take steps to ensure that they contribute to countering climate change. He further states that it is this very extremist rhetoric that leads governments to make big promises that are unrealistic, which eventually fail. Hence, his call is for moderation, and for making more realistic assumptions about climate change, so as to enlist everyone's sincere cooperation. In this regard, he calls for investment on green R&D, which can help tackle the problem immensely. He also opines that climate change cannot take precedence over the important concerns of health, education, and employment.

The second question is entwined with the first, as it is the unrealistic promises on reducing carbon emissions made by governments which put them in a difficult state from the beginning itself. Lomborg is of the view that reducing carbon emissions to the extent that governments have claimed, without any moderating measures, will severely impact economy and GDP, which nations cannot afford to do. Hence, governments have accordingly had to face failure in living up to past promises of reducing carbon emissions.