Go see Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. It raises awareness about global warming and motivates searches for constructive policies. Unfortunately, the film also polarizes proposed “solutions.” Many urge CO2 emissions caps. Others, fearful of economic repercussions, seek delay. Nobel Laureate and FREE’s 2003 Summer Scholar Thomas Schelling rejects the polarization: “It is not economic growth […]
Read More
Three decades ago, it was rare to get three summer cuttings of hay at our ranch — now this is the norm. Global warming is a plausible explanation. Barbra Streisand, Al Gore, and many scientists have proclaimed consensus: global warming is occurring, we are causing it, and the consequences are significant. But the question remains: […]
Read More
Science is systematically reducing uncertainties regarding the causes and consequences of climate change. This is critical, for it helps us identify the tradeoffs we must make. It is irresponsible and naive to pretend they don’t exist or won’t be difficult. Crafting effective solutions begins with considering two questions. First, should we care about a warming […]
Read More
Bozeman’s extended spell of vernal temperatures spurs thoughts of global warming. The preponderance of scientific evidence shows that for whatever reasons (human-induced carbon emissions, natural climatic variation), average global temperatures are increasing. The important question is: What do we do about it? The most common arguments revolve around reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. But this […]
Read More
Historically, the greatest scientists are great precisely because they broke with the consensus. Remember this when discussing global warming and other environmental issues. Such issues are always contentious, for they share two characteristics: They are technically complex and highly emotional. Can you think of a single environmental issue that isn’t both? Global warming tops the […]
Read More
We protect the environment because we care about clean air and preserving other species, not mainly for financial reasons. But we also value inexpensive supplies of power and fast and convenient transportation. All interesting and important policy questions involve choosing among competing values. Consider climate change. How does human action influence future climates? How willing […]
Read More
Lava Lake in the Madison Range just south of Bozeman is a favorite destination for participants in our summer programs for federal judges and law professors. Most years the lake trail is clogged with snow until early July. But that’s changing. Shorter, warmer winters and drier summers are here. Warmer spring temperatures cause our rivers […]
Read More
We’ve had “global warming” for more than a decade — the hottest decade on record worldwide. Is this the “greenhouse effect” that scientists have been warning about, i.e. a response to increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, or is it some natural — not man-made — climatic change? The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) […]
Read More
Environmental issues are vexing for three reasons: they carry heavy emotional baggage, they are scientifically and technically complex, and often they are important to our health and well-being. No other policy arena is so burdened. These attributes foster disingenuous arguments and even dishonesty. Consider Stephen Schneider, a Stanford biologist and global warming alarmist, who argued […]
Read More
The latest round of international talks on global warming recently took place in India. Developing countries refused to agree to restrictions on their greenhouse gas emissions. They were more interested in adapting to climate change than cutting emissions. I think this is good news. In July, the Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment […]
Read More