His famous 1968 book, “The Population Bomb,” changed the world. He famously predicted that human “overpopulation” would soon outstrip food supplies, leading to catastrophic famines, and societal collapse. He predicted that hundreds of millions of people would starve to death in the 1970s and 1980s, that India would be unable to feed its population by 1980, and…
‘Ever-wrong Ehrlich’s’ Greatest Hits (er, misses)
‘Ever-wrong Ehrlich’s’ Greatest Hits (er, misses)
18 Mar 2026 Leave a comment
in development economics, economic history, environmentalism, growth disasters, growth miracles, labour economics, labour supply, population economics Tags: pessimism bias, population bomb, population bust
Climate Change Economics, Skip the Hysteria (Lomborg)
25 Jan 2026 Leave a comment
in development economics, economic history, economics of climate change, economics of regulation, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, resource economics Tags: climate activists, climate alarmism, pessimism bias
For those who prefer reading, below is an excerpted transcript lightly edited from the interview, including my bolds and added images. Hey everyone, it’s Andrew Klavan with this week’s interview with Bjorn Lomborg. I met Bjorn, he probably doesn’t remember this, but I met him many, many years ago at Andrew Breitbart’s house. Andrew brought […]
Climate Change Economics, Skip the Hysteria (Lomborg)
Is Progress Progressive?
14 Jul 2025 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of education, economics of regulation, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: pessimism bias, The Great Enrichment
We should not assume that all adopted innovations are progressive. Jonathon Haidt’s ‘The Anxious Generation’ illustrates that sometimes they require social measures to enhance well being. Brian Easton writes – The Anxious Generation is a book which probably everyone engaging with adolescents should read. Haidt’s thesis is that smartphones replacing flip phones led to a marked […]
Is Progress Progressive?
1970s pessimism bias
22 May 2022 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of natural disasters, health economics, liberalism, libertarianism, Marxist economics Tags: pessimism bias, The Great Escape
Veteran lefty conceded over two decades of real wages growth in @Dompost
23 Apr 2022 Leave a comment
in applied welfare economics, economic growth, economic history, labour economics, politics - New Zealand, poverty and inequality, welfare reform Tags: pessimism bias, regressive left
Drowning in The Great Enrichment
05 Feb 2022 Leave a comment
in development economics, economic growth, economic history, growth disasters, growth miracles, history of economic thought, income redistribution, liberalism, libertarianism, macroeconomics, Marxist economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA Tags: pessimism bias, The Great Enrichment
Pessimism bias
26 Jan 2022 Leave a comment
in health economics Tags: economics of pandemics, pessimism bias
Should We Abolish Fossil Fuels to Stop Global Warming? A Soho Forum Debate
01 Nov 2021 1 Comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, development economics, energy economics, environmental economics, global warming Tags: carbon tax, carbon trading, climate alarmists, pessimism bias
New IPCC Climate Change Report Released – Should We Trust It?
16 Aug 2021 Leave a comment
in development economics, energy economics, environmental economics, global warming Tags: climate alarmists, pessimism bias
Steven Pinker | Full Address and Q&A | Oxford Union
27 Jun 2021 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of education, liberalism, Marxist economics Tags: Age of Enlightenment, free speech, pessimism bias, political correctness, regressive left, The Great Enrichment
Where is our world headed? Steven Pinker
19 Jun 2021 Leave a comment
in economics of education, liberalism, Marxist economics Tags: free speech, pessimism bias, political correctness, regressive left, The Great Enrichment
Steven Pinker: Progress, Despite Everything
17 Jun 2021 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, development economics, economic growth, economic history, growth disasters, growth miracles, liberalism, macroeconomics, Marxist economics, Public Choice Tags: Age of Enlightenment, pessimism bias, regressive left, The Great Fact
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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