“A lot of people ask me, ‘what can I do that will make a big difference to climate change’? And there really is only one thing. That is to get out there and spread the word about the solutions that will make a difference. You and I need to elect people who acknowledge that global warming is a problem – but who also recognize that research and development is what is going to solve this problem.” — Bjorn Lomborg.

So, just what are the solutions that will make a difference? In COOL IT, Lomborg discusses his work with a group of top-level economists, including 4 Nobel laureates, at the 2004 Copenhagen Consensus, which resulted in a Global Priority List based on return on investment. The Global Priority List is weighted by Opportunities (Very good, Good, Fair, Bad) and how much good can be done per each dollar spent. The results:

Very Good Opportunities – Disease (HIV/AIDS, Malaria), Malnutrition (provide micronutrients), Subsidies & Trade.

Good Opportunities – Malnutrition (new agriculture tech), Sanitation & Water, Development (lower cost of starting new businesses).

Fair Opportunities – Migration (lower barrier for skilled workers), Malnutrition (reduce low birth weight), Disease (Scale up health services).

Bad Opportunities [each dollar would do less than a dollar’s worth of good] – Migration (guest workers for unskilled), Climate (optimal carbon tax, Kyoto protocol, value-at-risk carbon tax).

COOL IT, the documentary featuring Bjorn Lomborg, opens in theaters beginning November 12.

For more information about Bjorn Lombog and the Copenhagen Consensus, a think-tank based in Denmark that tells governments and philanthropists about the best ways to spend aid and development money, visit: Copenhagen Consensus and FixTheClimate.com.