Lomborg on the Stern Report here.

I have been a great fan of The Sceptical Environmentalist. It was understanding Peak Oil which shifted my position – not least because in 1999 Lomborg argued that the oil supply was so healthy, there would be no peak, and therefore the price of oil would remain below $20 until 2020.

Ho ho.

However, I do think he makes one very good point, which is good irrespective of his arguments about global warming: “Spending just a fraction of this figure–$75 billion–the U.N. estimates that we could solve all the world’s major basic problems. We could give everyone clean drinking water, sanitation, basic health care and education right now.” And we don’t do that because, frankly, our system is profoundly wicked and about to suffer God’s just judgement (see my talks for further details 😉

The real trouble is that trying to capture the problem of global warming (which is itself only one symptom of the more fundamental problem of exponential growth in a finite system) through using economics is like trying to ward off demons by invoking satan. It’s just not going to bat on your side.