Bjorn Lomborg was seen as a leading mind in the environmental space. His work helped to identify where/how we can use our money--but that didn't fit the narrative. Rather than use Nobel grade academic work...tropes like polar bears and deaths from heat in the summer fueled a fear-based panic. 

Bjorn's, book False Alarm identifies the problems and provides practical solutions. One key finding continues to dominate academic work; reducing poverty is the best way to reduce the human cost of climate change.