Is Climate Change Our Biggest Problem? | 5 Minute Video
Is man-made climate change our biggest problem? Are the wildfires, droughts and hurricanes we see on the news an omen of even worse things to come? The United Nations and many political leaders think so and want to spend trillions of tax dollars to reverse the warming trend. Are they right? Will the enormous cost justify the gain? Economist Bjorn Lomborg, director of the Copenhagen Consensus Center, explains the key issues and reaches some sobering conclusions.
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Script:
One of the most persistent claims in the climate debate is that global warming leads to more extreme weather. This is a common concern expressed by those who fear a dangerously warming planet. President Barack Obama did so eloquently in his 2013 State of the Union Address when he talked about “the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms.” Many others have offered similar sentiments.
Global warming is a problem that needs to be addressed, but exaggeration doesn’t help. It often distracts us from simple, cheaper and smarter solutions. To find those solutions, let’s address the three horsemen of the climate apocalypse to which President Obama referred.
Historical analysis of wildfires around the world shows that since 1950 their numbers have decreased globally by 15%. Estimates published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that even with global warming, the level of wildfires will continue to decline until midcentury and won’t resume on the level of 1950 — the worst for fire — before the end of the century.
Claiming that droughts are a consequence of global warming is also wrong. The world has not seen a general increase in drought. A study published in Nature in March 2014 shows globally that there has been little change in drought over the past 60 years.
The U.N. Climate Panel in 2012 concluded: “Some regions of the world have experienced more intense and longer droughts, in particular in southern Europe and West Africa, but in some regions droughts have become less frequent, less intense, or shorter, for example, in central North America and northwestern Australia.”
And finally, the third horseman: hurricanes. Global hurricane activity today, measured by total energy, hasn’t been lower since the 1970s.
While it is likely that we will see somewhat stronger (but fewer) storms as climate change continues, damages will be lower because we’ll be better adapted. A March 2012 Nature study shows that the global damage cost from hurricanes will be 0.02% of gross domestic product by 2100 — down 50% from today’s 0.04%.
Let me make this clear: this does not mean that climate change isn’t an issue. It means that exaggerating the threat concentrates resources in the wrong areas.
Consider hurricanes (though similar points hold for wildfire and drought). If the aim is to reduce storm damage, then first focus on resilience — better building codes and better enforcement of those codes. Ending subsidies for hurricane insurance to discourage building in vulnerable zones would also help, as would investing in better infrastructure (from stronger levees to higher-capacity sewers).
These solutions are quick and comparatively cheap. Most important, they would diminish future hurricane damage, whether climate-induced or not. Had New York and New Jersey focused resources on building sea walls and adding storm doors to the subway system and making simple fixes like porous pavements, Hurricane Sandy would have caused much less damage.
For the complete script, visit https://www.prageru.com/videos/climate-change-our-biggest-problem
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We would have hope, IF ONLY PRAGERU DIDN'T EXIST!!!
Not even close.
Great video. Simply proposing different solutions, on a facts based approach. Sounds good to me.
I’ve heard Bjron mentioned by Jordan Peterson in 2022, so thought I’d come back and watch this video of his.
2:34am NZDT
1 December 2022
If the world is warming again, as it has done so many times in the past when the entire earth was a tropical paradise, I'm all for it. The best is yet to come.
Climate researcher here. Co2 has no effect at all on the temperature of the atmosphere. None. This is very easy to prove historically and with experiments in real time. Man made climate change is political fear mongering.
If CO2 didn't warm our planet, mammals couldn't survive here. It would be too cold. CO2 by historical standards, is low. If the current concentrations of 400 ppm of CO2 were to double, our climate temperature would increase by 1 degree. The recent rise in CO2 is partly caused by the burning of fossil fuels but does not cause global temperatures to increase. The temperatures were rising before the industrial revolution so other factors were causing the temperatures to rise.Also, CO2 has reached a saturation point where if more is added, it does not cause a greenhouse effect.
These are not my opinions nor are they the product of any research I have done. These are conclusions of Will Happer and other physicists who have studied global warming. Recent satellite images of our planet have shown an increase in the greening of our planet. That means plants are proliferating. This will provide us with more food to eat and more oxygen to breath. Those are both beneficial things for mankind.
Leftists such as Obama complain about "Rising sea levels" Yet they buy mansions on the beach. It's clear leftists lie about rising sea levels on purpose on they can earn money.
there is no such thing as man made climate change, it does not exist
This video has a fact check. Pathetic.
Yes.
I bet he feels stupid now with massive droughts out west and forest fires from dry forest and ness harsh winters. And the east seeing ton of rain tons more then normal. And coming out of one of the most mild winters ever. You are stupid
"Global Warming" is a hoax. Period
“The world has not seen an increase of drought”
Hmmm…Ask California…
Don't let the leftists scare you. The only thing global warming and pollution and climate change will kill will be all of humanity. The earth will adapt, grow and change. It survived a comet hit and perpetual volcanoes. Once we kill each other and we're all dead in a few years life will come back again. Just like it did after the death of the dinosaurs.
https://youtu.be/8bNI2PoOT1A
Ok
Poor 4th horse died prematurely.
1 world global government is the most monumental problem we will face.
We're riding out the last days of the last ice age. We're overdue for a return to warm earth.
obama would embrace anything that allowed him to take over more of the economy,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Yes it is
Yes.
I wont deny fossil fuels makes green house gases. But to use my tax money on an issue with no end game. No benchmark to make a comparison if measures are efficient. Just blindly giving trillions away. NO WAY.. it will get corrupted anyway.
lol, back then when PragerU nad Lomborg weren't hardliners xD
There is less wildfire because there are less forests.
totally agreed!
Mmmm no we should just fight sexism and inequality as our planet becomes a Venus stan. Exaggerating climate change is not a bad thing. If it aids to resolving it, I don't care if the world descends into anarchy. We can't live without the planet but the planet can surely live without us.
You are funded by big oil companies. Environmental problems are not left or right. It’s crisis point by science. This is shameful side stepping and obscuring the crisis.
Same brednie
maybe the wildfires have decreased cause we cut down all the trees that they would’ve burnt
Not surprising Obama lied to us about everything, that's what he excelled at!
The claims about renewable are so misguided. In the UK wind is cheaper than fossil and requires no subsidies. We have already had a nu ber of days this year where we burned no coal at all. This guy has a track record of cherry picking data to suit his agenda which is clearly anti progress and alarmist about all the wrong things. Please go and listen to real scientists quoting real non-POLITICAL data.
https://youtu.be/eRLJscAlk1M