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The Lomborg Deception: Setting the Record Straight About Global Warming
A compelling exposé of the highly problematic scholarship of Bjørn Lomborg, the world’s leading global warming skeptic
In this major assessment of leading climate-change skeptic Bjørn Lomborg, Howard Friel meticulously deconstructs the Danish statistician’s claim that global warming is “no catastrophe” by exposing the systematic misrepresentations and partial accounting that are at the core of climate skepticism. His detailed analysis serves not only as a guide to reading the global warming skeptics, but also as a model for assessing the state of climate science. With attention to the complexities of climate-related phenomena across a range of areas—from Arctic sea ice to the Antarctic ice sheet— The Lomborg Deception also offers readers an enlightening review of some of today’s most urgent climate concerns. Friel’s book is the first to respond directly to Lomborg’s controversial research as published in The Skeptical Environmentalist (2001) and Cool The Skeptical Environmentalist’s Guide to Global Warming (2007). His close reading of Lomborg’s textual claims and supporting footnotes reveals a lengthy list of findings that will rock climate skeptics and their allies in the government and news media, demonstrating that the published peer-reviewed climate science, as assessed mainly by the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has had it mostly right—even if somewhat conservatively right—all along. Friel’s able defense of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth against Lomborg’s repeated attacks is by itself worth an attentive reading.
In this major assessment of leading climate-change skeptic Bjørn Lomborg, Howard Friel meticulously deconstructs the Danish statistician’s claim that global warming is “no catastrophe” by exposing the systematic misrepresentations and partial accounting that are at the core of climate skepticism. His detailed analysis serves not only as a guide to reading the global warming skeptics, but also as a model for assessing the state of climate science. With attention to the complexities of climate-related phenomena across a range of areas—from Arctic sea ice to the Antarctic ice sheet— The Lomborg Deception also offers readers an enlightening review of some of today’s most urgent climate concerns. Friel’s book is the first to respond directly to Lomborg’s controversial research as published in The Skeptical Environmentalist (2001) and Cool The Skeptical Environmentalist’s Guide to Global Warming (2007). His close reading of Lomborg’s textual claims and supporting footnotes reveals a lengthy list of findings that will rock climate skeptics and their allies in the government and news media, demonstrating that the published peer-reviewed climate science, as assessed mainly by the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has had it mostly right—even if somewhat conservatively right—all along. Friel’s able defense of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth against Lomborg’s repeated attacks is by itself worth an attentive reading.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 17, 2010
After reading this, I wouldn't trust Lomborg to tell me what the weather was outside if he just came in.
Readable review of both of Lomborg's books; namely their accuracy/support in claiming that climate change is not a serious threat. Basically, Lomborg either:
* provides zero scientific evidence (i.e. no peer reviewed articles) to support his contrary position
or
* lifts sentences/sections out of context from peer-reviewed journals/publications and uses that as evidence
or
* completely makes things up out of thin air
It's maddeningly, mind-boggling just how wrong he is. And yet, he's touted in non-scientific (i.e. policy) circles as a voice of reason.
The man is a quack. If you happen to encounter someone quoting Lomborg, pity them, but don't hesitate to tell them they're completely in error.
Readable review of both of Lomborg's books; namely their accuracy/support in claiming that climate change is not a serious threat. Basically, Lomborg either:
* provides zero scientific evidence (i.e. no peer reviewed articles) to support his contrary position
or
* lifts sentences/sections out of context from peer-reviewed journals/publications and uses that as evidence
or
* completely makes things up out of thin air
It's maddeningly, mind-boggling just how wrong he is. And yet, he's touted in non-scientific (i.e. policy) circles as a voice of reason.
The man is a quack. If you happen to encounter someone quoting Lomborg, pity them, but don't hesitate to tell them they're completely in error.
August 23, 2021
As a science-based reference librarian, I can say that this book is a master class in textual analysis. By that I mean the Friel carefully reviews the science that Lomborg himself cites, then references against the best climate change sources available and comes to an inevitable conclusion: Bjørn Lomborg is a fraud. Quotes out of context, assertions that have no known basis in science, plain wrong citations, ignoring pertinent information and then cherry picking particular data, etc. When someone like Lomborg writes his unfortunately popular books and presents a case that is totally out of step with climate and biodiversity scientists, and not being one himself still claims to speak the truth, then he should have superior evidence. Instead, Friel has shown how Lomborg is a vehicle to provide a permission structure for climate skeptics to push for no action on climate change, to the grave detriment of us all.
October 17, 2011
IF you bother to read this book you should go to www.lomborg.com and read his 27 pages reply. It is clearly that Friel's attempt to describe Lomborg as being a fraud and untrue to facts fails totally. Whatever opinion you may have towards Global Warming and to Lomborg's analyzes and opinions, the facts in Lomborg's book still stand and Friel's claim that the notes does not exist are simply false. I only managed to read 40% of The Lomobrorg Deception since I at this point was sure of that any further reading was a waste of time.
August 23, 2018
Some will probably find this book tedious, and in a way it is just that. I think, however, that Friel has done mankind a great favour by exposing Lomborg for what he is: a charlatan and a fraud; a bad faith errand boy for the super-rich.
Some of Friel’s relevations are breathtaking. Lomborg should look himself in the mirror...
Some of Friel’s relevations are breathtaking. Lomborg should look himself in the mirror...
March 31, 2024
On the one hand, I appreciate the work that went into rebutting/debunking a climate change denier who has gotten far too much positive attention. On the other hand, this is just an unpleasant slog to read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews