Many environmentalists hate Bjorn Lomborg. Actually, they hate anyone who doesn’t respond to environmental concerns with hysterical panic. Thus, Paul Ehrlich — who has been wrong about everything he has ever said — is venerated because he’s a doom-monger. And Lomborg — and Gregg Easterbrook and Ronald Bailey and many others — are vilified for being optimistic and realistic about environmental scares.

A few years ago, Lomborg was the victim of a witch-hunt over his book The Skeptical Environmentalist. Now they’re at it again, with a new book that’s attacks his accuracy. Lomborg’s response is here (PDF). I find it compelling, as always.

It’s shit like this that gives red meat to those who claim environmentalism — and global warming acceptance in particular — are a religion. They environmentalists are treating Lomborg like a heretic. It’s not enough that he might be wrong; he has to be evil.