We all wish that there were money enough to solve all of the world’s pressing social and environmental problems: HIV and malaria kill tens of millions of people each year; eight hundred million people are malnourished or starving; billions lack proper sewerage; and by some accounts, climate change may threaten the future of the planet. But means are limited. What should be the world’s humanitarian priorities?

In 2001, in The Skeptical Environmentalist, Bjørn Lomborg challenged the establishment view that the environment is deteriorating. Again questioning the status quo, Professor Lomborg recently assembled several distinguished economists to explore how the developed world might most effectively marshal its resources to address social and environmental problems. The Copenhagen Consensus, as it was called, is sparking an international debate over global priorities. This conference will critically review the Copenhagen Consensus in anticipation of the publication of its findings in Global Crises, Global Solutions.