Imaginary Conversations and Random Thoughts

Instapundit notes here that Jonathan Adler has written a review of Bjorn Lomborg's new book COOL IT: The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming. The review can be found at National Review Online here.

I happened to read another bit about this book, an excerpt in Discover Magazine. In it, Lomborg looks at the European heat wave of 2003, and the 35,000 deaths that spanned several countries. England alone suffered 2,000 heat related deaths. Isn't global warming terrible!

Well, maybe yes, maybe no. One summer does not a year make. There's always winter to consider:

However, the BBC recently ran a very quiet story telling us that deaths caused by cold weather in England and Wales for the past years have hovered around 25,000 each winter, casually adding that the winters of 1998–2000 saw about 47,000 cold deaths each year.

The BBC story can be found here.

The biggest study in Europe on heat and cold seems to show that the deaths from increased heat would be offset by an even bigger decline in cold-related deaths. In England alone, ten times as many would live because of a warmer winter, than would die because of an equally warmer summer. These numbers are based on an increase of 3.6 degrees F.

This is Lomborg's second book to take a skeptical look at what we are often told is a complete and total consensus on global warming. Considering some of the hysterical attacks he has faced for his opinions, one might legitimately wonder if "consensus" isn't the Newspeak term for "cult."