Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

Make Dams and Food, Not War and Ethanol

A dollar of prevention is worth many times that in cure, researcher pleads

By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff

Posted May 22, 2008 4:55 PM CDT

(Newser) – Ethanol is among the "poor solutions to high-profile problems" researcher Bjorn Lomborg blasts in the Wall Street Journal. According to calculations by his Copenhagen Consensus, “carbon mitigation policies” return only 90 cents for every dollar spent; in contrast, he writes, $1 billion spent on tuberculosis would result in an “annual economic benefit” of $30 billion.

Lomborg’s premise is simple: spend smart. “Acknowledging that some investments shouldn't be our top priority isn't the same as saying that the challenges don't exist,” he writes. “It simply means working out how to do the most good with our limited resources.” Economically, the Iraq war pays back 9 cents on every dollar; preventing civil wars could make $9 out of every greenback.

A tiger at a wild animal park in northeast China bitten to death by four other cats in a fight stemming from a food shortage.
A tiger at a wild animal park in northeast China bitten to death by four other cats in a fight stemming from a food shortage.   (AP Photo)
Somali women wait for food aid.
Somali women wait for food aid.   (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)
Pakistani citizens protest against a recent price.
Pakistani citizens protest against a recent price.   (AP Photo/K.M.Chaudary)
Afghan porters load up the sacks of food stuff in to a truck.
Afghan porters load up the sacks of food stuff in to a truck.   (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)
A field full of wheat is seen in London, Ohio.
A field full of wheat is seen in London, Ohio.   (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, file)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

More Newser Stories

US Will Halve Vast Iraq Embassy

Super Committee Wants to Count $700B War Savings

US Wars Price Tag Nears $4T

Blame Elite, Not Voters, for Deficit Mess

Dems Block GOP War Bill Filibuster


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne