THIS is my last column until I return from Montana next autumn. While there, I’ll continue working on the three E’s of environmental policy: ecology, economics and ethics. Only systems that link freedom to act with responsibility for the results of the action work well in dealing with them. Others fail. Linking action with accountability […]
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TWICE I’ve cried in a movie. The first time I was 4 years old and saw Bambi. The second was in 1970, when I saw a tear-provoking “documentary” of a polar bear hunt. The few polar bears I’ve seen in the wild inspired awe and admiration. But during this film, a faux-sportsman was flown onto […]
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HARVARD University Press recently published a book on risk regulation written by Stephen Breyer, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit. Breyer argued that “the resources available to combat health risks are not limitless.” He is exactly right. We maximize health and environmental quality by investing our money and efforts where the […]
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1995 will be the silver anniversary of Earth Day. This will be a significant event, for it marks a full generation since we formally recognized our environment’s fragility and value. To celebrate the anniversary, I suggest that we begin a campaign to buy Siberia. This would be America’s Earth Day present to the world. Buying […]
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Some of the questions raised in this column are addressed in FREE’s forthcoming book, “Environmental Gore: A Constructive Response to Earth in the Balance.” THE global warming debate, like many environmental issues, is scientifically complex and highly emotional. Its complexity hinders informed debate and its emotionalism makes consensus elusive. Part of the problem is that […]
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ECONOMIES are like ecosystems in that everything is tied to everything else. We cannot do only one thing. Protecting owls by limiting timber harvest has multiple consequences, mostly unintended. People anticipate outcomes, estimate how regulations affect their security and livelihood, and often change their behavior accordingly. Regulations that ignore this interconnectedness can make matters worse, […]
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TOMORROW is the Seattle meeting of the President’s Council on Sustainable Development. According to their news release, the council’s goal is to: “explore and develop policies that encourage economic growth, job creation, and effective use of our natural resources.” Council leaders want to learn what works in environmentally sound economic-development policies. The council includes prominent […]
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IT is easy to be an enthusiastic supporter of recycling, especially in Seattle. Recycling requires little effort from consumers and appears to eliminate waste and alleviate pressures on the environment. Recycling is an easy choice for those who believe it will always save money and resources. They have little problem equating it with conservation and […]
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I HAVE long held a vision of what a good society would include. Its most important elements are liberty, environmental quality and communities of people who value both. But only certain institutional arrangements foster these ends. History is unlikely to show that yesterday’s election moved us toward these goals. But elections do cause thoughtful people […]
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“CONTINUED cold and wet” was the summer forecast in Montana. Twice in August we had snow at 6,500 feet. Our ranch is between Bozeman and Big Sky, Mont. Normal rainfall is just under 20 inches per year. This year we had 14.5 inches in July. Hay wouldn’t cure and the barley is still in the […]
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