Economists Vs. Environmentalists II

My second TechCentralStation column is up.

The critics of Bjorn Lomborg accuse him of not having a background in environmental science. In effect, they are accusing him of practicing ecology without a license.

The way I read it, Lomborg is not disputing environmental biology or ecological modeling. He differs from ecologists primarily in the treatment of the economic aspects of the environment. Although he is not a professional economist, Lomborg uses mainstream analysis rather than the peculiar models of ecologists. (His analysis of global warming owes much to the work of Yale economist William Nordhaus.) If anything, his work rests on a better overall scientific foundation than that of his critics.

Lomborg is scheduled to speak on Monday, April 8, in Washington DC from 10:30-12:00. I would have to miss a class to get there, so I'm not planning on attending. But if others in the blogosphere plan to show up, let me know and I could get a substitute. arnold at arnoldkling dot com