[lbo-talk] _cool it_, bjorn lomborg

[Gar Lipow]

On 9/29/07, Gar Lipow <the.typo.boy at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 9/28/07, martin <mschiller at pobox.com> wrote:
> > I was surprised the other nite when jon stewart came across as rather
> > dismissive of this guy, and his book. His arguments and resume seemed
> > reasonable, and appear well documented as I look through the book.
> >
> > If I'm mistaken in my reading of jon stewart I'll feel better.
> >
>
> His resume certainly is not reasonable. He wrote an awful book called
> "The Skeptical Environmentalist" in which he was caught using cherry
> picking and other faulty statistical techniques to make the case that
> world environmental problems were exaggerated. The Danish Committee on
> Scientific Dishonesty investigated charges againstt, and decided the
> book itself was scientifically dishonest, but acquitted Lomborg of
> deliberate dishonesty on grounds that the lacked scientific training,
> and therefore his he may have made honest errors rather that being
> deliberately dishonest .

OK hit send too soon. The findings were overturned, but the Lomborg
still is not overall in good odor with anyone but the extreme right.
An unscientific example that is I think indicative of his level of
honesty in argument. Skeptical Environmentalist made much of his claim
to be writing as a former Greenpeace Member. Greenpeace could find no
records of his membership. Lomborg claimed to have  contributed money
to a door to door Greenpeace solicitor. Even if the the literal truth
this is certainly misleading.


>
> The things the society found wrong with his book included:
>
>    1. Fabrication of data;
>    2. Selective discarding of unwanted results (selective citation);
>    3. Deliberately misleading use of statistical methods;
>    4. Distorted interpretation of conclusions;
>    5. Plagiarism;
>    6. Deliberate misinterpretation of others' results.
>
>
> Haven't read the new book, but Joe Romm (who I respect on scientific
> and technical issues even though we have some strong disagreements on
> political economy)  does not think highly of it:
>
> http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/9/13/105130/672
>
> http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/9/14/142514/357
>
> http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/9/17/151133/245
>

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