In a useful op-ed pointing out the endless series of falsehoods promoted by climate alarmists over the years (“Polar Bears, Dead Coral and Other Climate Fictions,” Aug. 1), Bjorn Lomborg asserts that “climate economics generally finds that the costs of [man-made emissions] outweigh the benefits.” That is not correct.
The economic models for the most part examine the asserted adverse effects of man-made emissions while ignoring the benefits of moderate warming, among which is the sharp reduction in net mortality from cold and heat that Mr. Lomborg points out. Even if we ignore that effect, inclusion of the increase in agricultural productivity caused by higher atmospheric carbon dioxide alone results in economic benefits greater than the costs under a wide range of assumptions for the rest of this century.
Benjamin Zycher
American Enterprise Institute
Long Beach, Wash.