Today, it was announced that Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on climate change. This certainly has many in the blogosphere in a buzz of dismay, noting:
Al Gore’s got an Oscar, an Emmy, and as of today a Nobel Peace Prize. And the “Draft Gore” movement thinks they’d all look good on his desk in the Oval Office.Björn Lomborg writes:
On the other hand, Greg Mankiw is happy to see a member of the Pigou Club win.This year's Nobel peace prize justly rewards the thousands of scientists of the United Nations climate change panel (the IPCC). These scientists are engaged in excellent, painstaking work that establishes exactly what the world should expect from climate change.
The other award winner, former US vice-president Al Gore, has spent much more time telling us what to fear. While the IPCC's estimates and conclusions are grounded in careful study, Gore doesn't seem to be similarly restrained.
Here are the other winners of Nobels so far this year:
- Physics: Albert Fert and Peter Grünberg for their discovery of Giant Magnetoresistance.
- Chemistry: Gerhard Erti for his study on chemical processes on solid surfaces.
- Medicine: Mario Capecchi, Martin Evans, and Oliver Smithies for their work on gene modification in mice using embryonic stem cells.
- Literature: Doris Lessing for her writing about the female experience.
1 comment:
While Gore's selection was no doubt a product of political motivation, there is some merit. What the award implicitly recognizes is that for any movement or cause to be successful, it must be popularized among the public. Gore did that with his cause. Those scientists with the UN did not and could not do it. They were a part of the puzzle, but without getting their message to the public, their impact would have been limited.
In short, economists could take a lesson. What if there were a similarly high profile and successful individual selling the world on the merits of free market economics? What if someone were out there educating as effectively on the basic laws of economics?
Regardless of whether one agrees with Gore, you have to admit that he has been persistent and effective in getting his message out. That means a whole lot in this world.
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