Global warming’s upside-down narrative Climate change has been portrayed as a huge catastrophe costing as much as 20% of world GDP, though brave politicians could counter it at a cost of just 1% of GDP. The reality is just the opposite:

Bjorn Lomborg

Global warming’s upside-down narrative Climate change has been portrayed as a huge catastrophe costing as much as 20% of world GDP, though brave politicians could counter it at a cost of just 1% of GDP. The reality is just the opposite: The recent installments of the IPCC report show that the damage cost will be perhaps 2% of world GDP, whereas climate policies can end up costing more than 11% of GDP. And the real cost will likely be much higher, because these numbers assume smart policies, instantly enacted, with key technologies magically available.      Read Lomborg's new column in six languages on Project Syndicate. It was published in newspapers around the world, e.g. in La Nación (Argentina), Jyllands-Posten(Denmark) and The Korea Times. A problem, not armageddon Media around the world asked Bjorn Lomborg to comment on the latest IPCC reports. On MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry, he discussed the effects of climate change on hunger, why we don't need to fear a global food shortage, and what will really help the poor adapting to a changing climate. Similarly, Varney & Co. and The Independents on the FOX Business channel asked Lomborg about the reports' findings and how to tackle global warming smartly. In an interview with The Australian newspaper, Lomborg warns that old-fashioned policies towards climate change could cost much more money than the damage higher temperatures could inflict. This generation's biggest opportunity The U.N. is meeting in NYC this week to decide on targets that will succeed the Millennium Development Goals. “These goals could mobilize up to $700 billion in resources,” Lomborg told the New York Times. “If we can just get one poor target replaced by one phenomenal target, we can generate billions in benefits.” The Copenhagen Consensus has asked some of the world's top economists to give a preliminary assessment of the 140 base goals that the U.N. is currently considering. Comprehensive cost-benefit analyses on which targets will do the most social good will be provided by end of this year, when the main negotiations begin. Learn more in Lomborg's interview with the Inter Press Service. Deadly environmental threat The world's biggest environmental problem kills 4.3 million people each year, but gets no headlines. Indoor air pollution from cooking and keeping warm with bad fuels, which disproportionately affects women and children. In New York Post Bjorn Lomborg explains the urgent need for more energy. His analyses of this issue were also published in various European outlets, such as La Tribune (France), The European (Germany) and Svenska Dagbladet (Sweden). On Earth Day, Lomborg was interviewed about the threat of air pollution on Stossel. They also discussed fracking and electric cars as solutions to global warming. Feeling green with other people's money World Bank President Jim Yong Kim says pension funds should drop fossil fuels and instead invest in green assets for the sake of future pension holders. In Forbes Magazine (print), Lomborg shows that $100 invested in 2002 in fossil fuels would be worth about $252 today, whereas the same $100 invested in renewables would be worth about $34. Green policies hurt the poor Most Westerners take their supply of electricity for granted. But 2.9 billion people in the developing world lack access to modern energy. But even in the West, green policies have contributed to an increasing number of people not knowing how to pay their electricity bills. Read Lomborg's cover story for Britain's The Spectator. Spending our aid money the most effective way Brand new second edition How to Spend $75 Billion to Make the World a Better Place  Updated introduction and reading guidance for this collection of essays on smart solutions from the world's top economists. Available now for only $8.09 onAmazon.com   Best wishes, Zsuzsa Horvath Executive Assistant to Bjorn Lomborg