September 4, 2009 – Page 2

Death Wish: Lomborg’s ‘Copenhagen Consensus’ Tainted By Inclusion of Nobel-Winner Who ‘Wished’ for ‘tornadoes’ and ‘a lot of horrid things’ to convince Americans of climate threat!

Climate Depot Editorial

The important work of Danish statistician Bjorn Lomborg’s “Copenhagen Consensus” panel is being marred by the inclusion of Nobel Winning Economist Thomas Schelling. Schelling, in a moment of sheer lunacy or candor — depending on your viewpoint — wished for “tornadoes” and “a lot of horrid things” to convince Americans of a global warming threat in a July 14, 2009 interview with The Atlantic. Schelling also advocated “exaggerating” man-made climate fears in order to scare the public. “You have to find ways to exaggerate the threat,” Schelling said.

Relevant Excerpt: An Interview With Nobel Prize-winning economist Thomas Schelling, Part Two – The Atlantic – July 14, 2009

Schelling excerpt: “…And what I don’t know is whether Americans are really willing to understand that and do anything for the benefit of the unborn Chinese. It’s a tough sell. And probably you have to find ways to exaggerate the threat. And you can in fact find ways to make the threat serious. […]

But I tend to be rather pessimistic. I sometimes wish that we could have, over the next five or ten years, a lot of horrid things happening — you know, like tornadoes in the Midwest and so forth — that would get people very concerned about climate change. But I don’t think that’s going to happen.” [End Schelling Excerpt.]

Schelling’s climate views echo those on the extreme fringe of the climate debate.

Many questions need to be asked:

Why is Lomborg holding Schelling up as some kind of sage on climate and policy when he is espousing such anti-science views?

Why hasn’t Lomborg publicly repudiated Schelling’s comments?

Why has not Schelling apologized or at least attempted to “clarify” his anti-science comments?

Is the science of man-made global warming so weak and the arguments so unmoving, that Nobel Laureates are now reduced to “wishing” for death and destructions on Americans to “convince” them there is a threat? [Editor’s Note: The answer is yes. See: Climate Depot Special Report: Science of man-made climate fears continues to collapse – August 26, 2009 – Also, it appears Mother Nature is not cooperating with Mr. Schelling’s “wish” for more tornadoes so far this year. See: Mild season in Tornado Alley frustrates scientists…’attributing the relative calm not to anything dire, like global warming’ – August 1, 2009]

Mr. Lomborg needs to publicly repudiate Schelling’s comments and seriously …