A Skeptical Look at ‘The Skeptical Environmentalist

By Leif Utne
Published on December 1, 2001

A Skeptical Look at ‘The Skeptical
Environmentalist,’
various authors, Grist
Magazine

Danish statistician Bjorn Lomborg’s recent book The Skeptical
Environmentalist
caused a hue and cry in activist circles, and
was embraced with open arms (and little skepticism itself), by
major media, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York
Times,
and The Economist magazine. The Washington
Post
hailed Lomborg’s argument–essentially that
environmentalists’ claims on everything from extinction to climate
change, population to pesticides to forests, are flat wrong–as a
‘magnificent achievement.’ Environmental Webzine Grist now
takes an appropriately skeptical shot at Lomborg’s book. In this
impressive collection of essays, prominent environmental scientists
E.O. Wilson, Lester Brown, and others debunk Lomborg’s claims issue
by issue. In one essay, Norman Myers, a professor at Oxford
University, a member of the U.S. National Academy of the Sciences,
and a recipient of several of the world’s most prestigious
environmental awards, examines Lomborg’s views on biodiversity and
concludes that he lacks even ‘a preliminary understanding of the
science in question.’ Skeptical? Check it out for yourself.
–Leif Utne
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