Some very smart people are trying to figure out whether, where, and to what extent air pollution is a killer. Most recently, Tyler Cowen wrote in Marginal Revolution about a new study claiming that 10.2 million people die from pollution by fine particulates (particles 2.5 microns or lower) each year. Sixty-two percent of those premature…
Search Results for: pollution
A Laffer Curve for Pollution?
Most of us naturally assume that some pollution is the price we must pay for economic progress. That may be true, but studies show that more pollution is bad for health, IQ, productivity and employment. That means that pollution reduces human capital. There may be a “Laffer Curve” for pollution, just as there is for…
Air Pollution, Sea Rise, and Virginia’s ‘Clean Economy Act’
Air pollution has been declining for years. Here are some charts. NoTricksZone.com || Rapid sea rise on Atlantic coast – in the 18th century. Eurekalert.org || Virginia tries to save the planet with ‘Clean Economy Act.’ Wattsupwiththat.com || Counting tweets: A scientific tool for measuring climate change? Heartland.org ||
Renewables: Oh, the Waste!
The Biden administration is ignoring the problem of waste and pollution in its pursuit of renewable energy, writes the Institute of Energy Research (IER). “Electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, and wind turbines result in a massive amount of waste and pollution. China is responsible for half of the total electric vehicles in the world—a number…
Prosperity Improves the Environment (We Knew That but Many Don’t)
The 2020 Environmental Performance Index shows a close relationship between environmental success and a country’s GDP. This annual index, developed jointly by the Yale Center for Environmental Policy and Law and the Center for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia University, ranks 180 countries. Writing on HumanProgress.org, Ethan Yang finds that wealth and environmental…
The New Trade in Non-Production (of Carbon)
The pressure to “do something” about global warming has created exotic new programs that emphasize reducing output. You might think of them as markets in non-production. I will explain them. Carbon offsets. Companies that produce or use fossil fuels are trying to reduce their “carbon footprint” but still continue their business. They are purchasing “offsets”—that…
API Endorses Carbon Pricing, But Biden Doesn’t
The American Petroleum Institute, the leading U. S. trade association for the oil and gas industry, has changed its position on carbon pricing. On March 25, it announced that it now supports “sensible legislation that prices carbon across all economic sectors while avoiding regulatory duplication.” The API’s statement of principles on carbon pricing set some…