Lomborg comments on IPCC report, calls for more realistic approaches to climate change 

September 27 --- The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released the summary of its fifth assessment report. “This is a chance to steer the climate conversation in a more realistic and constructive direction,” says Dr. Bjorn Lomborg, adjunct professor at the Copenhagen Business School and director of the Copenhagen Consensus Center.

The report shows similar temperature rises to earlier reports, at about 1.0-3.7°C (1.8 to 6.6°F) by the end of the century. For sea-level rise, the IPCC now includes modeling of glacier responses of 3-20 centimeters (1-8 inches), leading to a higher total estimate of 40-63 cm (1.5 feet to 2 feet) by century’s end.

 

According to Dr. Lomborg, "The IPCC’s moderate projections clearly contradict alarmist rhetoric," such as the recurring claims from activists of temperature rise of more than 5°C (9°F), and sea level rise of 1-2m (3-6ft), not to mention Al Gore's 6m (20 feet).

"Since 1980, the average of all climate models have overestimated actual temperature increases by 71 to 159 percent. This does not mean that there is not some global warming, but it likely means that temperature rises will be lower than originally expected. That fact makes alarmist scenarios ever more implausible."

 

Lomborg suggested that the IPCC report’s findings of a more moderate rate of climate change provide an opportunity for policymakers to take a more balanced approach to the issue of dealing with climate change. He explained, “The European Union will pay $250 billion for its current climate policies each and every year until the end of the century. For almost $20 trillion, temperatures will be reduced by a negligible 0.05°C (0.1°F).”  

 

Instead of continuing their focus on carbon taxes and subsidies for renewables, Lomborg calls political decision-makers to pursue a new approach to tackle climate change: “What we need is investment in research and development to reduce green energy’s cost and boost its scale. If we can make solar and other green technologies cheaper than fossil fuels, we will have addressed global warming,” he concludes.