Environmentalism
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Climate Alarmism Reconsidered
“Whatever the attraction, today’s climate alarm, now in its 33rd year, shows little sign of abatement within the green establishment or in government. The real threat is climate policy, not physical climate change itself. Affordable, reliable energy, free international trade, and lifestyle norms hang in the balance.” ~ Robert L. Bradley Jr.
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Julian Simon and Paul Ehrlich’s Second Bet
“It is easy to remember Simon as a cheerful optimist whose view can be summarized as ‘more people, more innovations, more value created, more abilities to deal with environmental problems.’ But, in reality, Simon was a much deeper thinker who connected markets and economic growth to solving environmental problems through institutions. It is worth remembering…
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The Texas Freeze: A Reality Check
“Can the Texas experience lead this nation to a better recognition of reality? Can it help politicians and administrators give priority to the concrete problems of today rather than the vague and speculative problems of the future?” ~ Jane Shaw Stroup
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Economic Impromptus from the Ordinary Business of Life: A Trip to the Park
“As I never tire of telling my students–though they probably tire of hearing it–economics is everywhere. The cool thing is you don’t even need to know where to look.” ~ Art Carden
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The Difference Between Copper and Cucumbers
“Most of the raw materials that we ever brought out of the Earth’s crust are still with us, capable of being used and then turned into something else when that better fits our needs and wants. Cucumbers and renewable crops don’t have that quality. If anything, Circular Economy proponents should be horrified by cucumbers, not…
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Julian Simon: Important Enough to Name Your Kids After
“Simon was a model mind and an outstanding intellectual citizen. He thought through the theory and formulated his hypotheses very carefully. He tested his hypotheses against the data. Importantly, he took real and consequential action based on his beliefs–at great risk to his own reputation, but to the everlasting benefit of the rest of us.”…
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“Sustainability” Misses the Point
“By standard definitions, what we are doing is ‘unsustainable,’ but most human activities are. Over some time period every activity is unsustainable, but that’s not an indictment, practically or morally, of doing them. When the environment is harming humans (the default position of life), we should offer those humans the best available protection against that…
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The Hype Surrounding Environmental, Social, and Governance Investing
“The shares of ESG companies will get wicked expensive as more and more money piles into them. At that point, with the expectation of low returns on ESG and high ones on ‘wicked’ stocks, virtue investors and ESG fund managers will have to eat palpably lower returns or creatively reclassify ‘wicked’ companies to get higher…
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The Tide-Theory of Climate Change
“Adaptation matters. Economic growth matters. Feats of engineering most certainly matter, as do flexibility and ingenuity of unregulated markets. Everyone from serious climate researchers to less-serious climate activists seem to forget that.” ~ Joakim Book
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Climate Catastrophism and a Sensible Environmentalism
“We should deal with the threats of climate change, but we should do so sensibly and in conjunction with other threats. Because one thing is dangerous and potentially harmful, every other dangerous and harmful thing doesn’t just go away.” ~ Joakim Book
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•
Climate Alarmism Reconsidered
“Whatever the attraction, today’s climate alarm, now in its 33rd year, shows little sign of abatement within the green establishment or in government. The real threat is climate policy, not physical climate change itself. Affordable, reliable energy, free international trade, and lifestyle norms hang in the balance.” ~ Robert L. Bradley Jr.
-
•
Julian Simon and Paul Ehrlich’s Second Bet
“It is easy to remember Simon as a cheerful optimist whose view can be summarized as ‘more people, more innovations, more value created, more abilities to deal with environmental problems.’ But, in reality, Simon was a much deeper thinker who connected markets and economic growth to solving environmental problems through institutions. It is worth remembering…
-
•
The Texas Freeze: A Reality Check
“Can the Texas experience lead this nation to a better recognition of reality? Can it help politicians and administrators give priority to the concrete problems of today rather than the vague and speculative problems of the future?” ~ Jane Shaw Stroup
-
•
Economic Impromptus from the Ordinary Business of Life: A Trip to the Park
“As I never tire of telling my students–though they probably tire of hearing it–economics is everywhere. The cool thing is you don’t even need to know where to look.” ~ Art Carden
-
•
The Difference Between Copper and Cucumbers
“Most of the raw materials that we ever brought out of the Earth’s crust are still with us, capable of being used and then turned into something else when that better fits our needs and wants. Cucumbers and renewable crops don’t have that quality. If anything, Circular Economy proponents should be horrified by cucumbers, not…
-
•
Julian Simon: Important Enough to Name Your Kids After
“Simon was a model mind and an outstanding intellectual citizen. He thought through the theory and formulated his hypotheses very carefully. He tested his hypotheses against the data. Importantly, he took real and consequential action based on his beliefs–at great risk to his own reputation, but to the everlasting benefit of the rest of us.”…
-
•
“Sustainability” Misses the Point
“By standard definitions, what we are doing is ‘unsustainable,’ but most human activities are. Over some time period every activity is unsustainable, but that’s not an indictment, practically or morally, of doing them. When the environment is harming humans (the default position of life), we should offer those humans the best available protection against that…
-
•
The Hype Surrounding Environmental, Social, and Governance Investing
“The shares of ESG companies will get wicked expensive as more and more money piles into them. At that point, with the expectation of low returns on ESG and high ones on ‘wicked’ stocks, virtue investors and ESG fund managers will have to eat palpably lower returns or creatively reclassify ‘wicked’ companies to get higher…
-
•
The Tide-Theory of Climate Change
“Adaptation matters. Economic growth matters. Feats of engineering most certainly matter, as do flexibility and ingenuity of unregulated markets. Everyone from serious climate researchers to less-serious climate activists seem to forget that.” ~ Joakim Book
-
•
Climate Catastrophism and a Sensible Environmentalism
“We should deal with the threats of climate change, but we should do so sensibly and in conjunction with other threats. Because one thing is dangerous and potentially harmful, every other dangerous and harmful thing doesn’t just go away.” ~ Joakim Book