Includes bibliographical references (p. [435]-505) and index.

Litany -- Human welfare -- Can human prosperity continue? -- Pollution: Does it undercut human prosperity? -- Tomorrow's problems -- Real state of the world.

Bjorn Lomborg, a former member of Greenpeace, challenges widely held beliefs that the global environment is progressively getting worse. Using statistical information from internationally recognized research institutes, Lomborg systematically examines a range of major environmental issues and documents that the global environment has actually improved. Throughout the book, his sources are fully referenced, allowing discerning readers to investigate the facts used to support his argument. Lomborg criticizes the way many environmental organizations make selective and misleading use of scientific data to influence decisions about the allocation of limited resources. Written by a nonpartisan, independent thinker, The Skeptical Environmentalist is a useful corrective to the more alarmist accounts favored by green activists and the media.