Interview recorded - 22nd of November, 2024

On this episode of the WTFinance podcast I had the pleasure of welcoming on Bjorn Lomborg. Bjorn is a renowned researcher and writer, currently president of the think tank Copenhagen Consensus Center, which researches the most effective solutions to the world’s greatest challenges, from disease and hunger to climate and education. The findings of the 12 most efficient solutions for the world’s poorest are laid out in his recently released book “Best Things First”.

During our conversation we spoke about the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, whether they're pragmatic, why the current trajectory is off, what $35bn annually could to to benefit the world, value of life, best ways to reduce emissions and more. I hope you enjoy!

0:00 - Introduction
2:12 - Are UN SDG’s realistic?
6:42 - Shift away from pragmatism?
7:50 - Influence for writing the book?
10:18 - $35bn to add $1trn of value to developed economies?
18:05 - Financial assumptions
22:47 - Issues with current development aid
27:38 - Value of life
32:03 - Didn’t hit the cut as too expensive?
37:03 - Best way to reduce emissions?
42:34 - One message to takeaway?

Dr. Bjorn Lomborg is an academic and the author of the best-selling "False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet", "The Skeptical Environmentalist" and "Cool It". He challenges mainstream concerns about development and the environment and points out that we need to focus attention on the smartest solutions first. He is a visiting fellow at the Stanford University's Hoover Institution, and president of the Copenhagen Consensus Center which brings together many of the world's top economists, including seven Nobel Laureates, to set priorities for the world. The University of Pennsylvania asked almost 7,000 think tanks and thousands of journalists, public and private donors, and policymakers from around the world to nominate and rank the world's best think tanks. Copenhagen Consensus Center's advocacy for data-driven smart solutions to global challenges were voted into the top 20 among NGOs with up to 100 times' larger budget. The Economist said “Copenhagen Consensus is an outstanding, visionary idea and deserves global coverage.”

Lomborg is a frequent participant in public debates on policy issues. His analysis and commentaries have appeared regularly in such prestigious publications as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Economist, Washington Post, Forbes Magazine, Globe & Mail, The Guardian, The Daily and Sunday Telegraph, The Times, The Australian, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe and Der Spiegel. Lomborg’s monthly column appears in multiple languages in influential newspapers across all continents. He is a television commentator on CNN, FOX, MSNBC and the BBC, among others, on shows such as “Newsnight”, “20/20”, “60 Minutes”, “The Late Show with David Letterman”, and “Larry King Live”. He was featured in the movie “Cool It”, by Sundance Award winning director Ondi Timoner.

Bjorn Lomborg - 

Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Best-Things-First/dp/B0CD8T9QDV/
Website - https://lomborg.com/
X - https://twitter.com/BjornLomborg

WTFinance -

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wtfinancee/
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iTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wtfinance/id1554934665?uo=4
Twitter - https://twitter.com/AnthonyFatseas