Bjorn Lomborg: Energy, climate, and the fight for a better world

In the latest episode of The Times of Israel’s 'Lazar Focus' podcast, Dr. Bjorn Lomborg, president of the Copenhagen Consensus Center, explored the intersection of energy security, global prosperity, and climate policy. Emphasizing that 'energy is prosperity,' Lomborg argued that affordable and available energy has been the primary driver of human progress over the last two decades, contributing to reduced child mortality and improved education. During the discussion, he addressed the impact of recent conflicts, including the US-Israel war with Iran and the war in Ukraine, on global energy markets, noting how control over energy supplies can be leveraged as a political tool. While acknowledging that global warming is a serious challenge, Lomborg warned that climate policies must not be designed in a way that their economic costs outweigh their benefits. Citing reports from the UN climate panel, he stressed that the key solution lies in climate innovation, which would allow green energy to become cheaper than fossil fuels. He concluded that for the foreseeable future, the world will remain reliant on fossil fuels, and the goal of public policy should be to leave the world better off for future generations.