In general, economists like William Nordhaus. He understands the role of prices, has highlighted the value of innovation, and received a Nobel Prize in 2018 for tackling the costs and benefits of global warming. That work revealed that the costs of trying to mitigate global warming too severely can outweigh the benefits. But David Henderson,…
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The West Is a Fire Plain. Get Over It.
Guest author Randal O’Toole has a degree in forestry from Oregon State University and has spent several decades studying forest policy. He is the author of six books, including Reforming the Forest Service, and author of The Perfect Firestorm: Bringing Forest Service Wildfire Costs under Control, a Cato Institute Policy Analysis. Every summer, smoke from…
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…
A Climate-Change Warrior’s Last Word
Fred Singer, a battle-seasoned warrior of the climate science debates, died last year at the age of 95. The third edition of his highly readable and scientifically sound book, Hot Talk, Cold Science, has just been published, by the Independent Institute. David R. Legates and Anthony R. Lupo are coauthors who also wrote an afterword….
Some Skeptics You May Not Know
Steven Koonin, a Harvard physicist, has written a book challenging the view that climate science is “settled” —indeed, the name of his book is Unsettled, and Sterling Burnett’ reviewed it on this blog. The book has garnered attention in part because of Koonin’s Obama-era credentials. He served in the Obama administration as undersecretary for science…
Does Solar Energy Depend on Forced Labor in China?
The evidence is increasing that the rare-earth minerals used in solar panels may be produced by forced labor. Most of the minerals come from Xinjiang, the area where China is known to be persecuting the Muslim Uygurs. Phred Dvorak and Matthew Dalton write in the Wall Street Journal (behind a paywall): “About half the world’s…