Common Sense On Kyoto

“Instead of focusing on initiatives with the greatest benefits, [politicians] tend to be swayed by those with the most vocal advocates. Take the Kyoto Protocol.” The author then laments the $180 billion annual cost of Kyoto.

Such words are often written by global warming skeptics. The surprise here is that the author, Bjorn Lomborg, isn’t a skeptic. Indeed, he is an environmentalist and one concerned about global warming. He’s just skeptical of the remedy prescribed by so many other environmentalists.

Mr. Lomborg’s point: there are smarter ways of saving lives than simply focusing on CO2.

In a New York Post essay, he lists several initiatives:

At the top was the provision of micronutrients -- particularly vitamin A and zinc -- to undernourished children in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

For just $60 million annually, we could reach 80 percent of the world's 140 million or so undernourished children. The economic gains from improving their lives would eventually clear $1 billion a year.

For another $286 million, we could iodize salt and fortify basic food with iron for 80 percent of the children who are at risk of stunting and poor development because they're going without.

Readers will, of course recognize Mr. Lomborg’s name. He is the author of Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist’s Guide to Global Warming – a must read for those of us who pray for the health of the environment and the third world but are not willing to worship at the cult of Al Gore.

His full essay can be found here.