IS economics an enemy of ecology? Many environmentalists seem to think so. They portray economists as insensitive number crunchers with Republican leanings, people stricken by a ghoulish preference for money over ecological integrity. The perceived focus of economics – money, business and mathematics – is distasteful to people motivated by environmental concerns. But greens’ conventional […]
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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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AS PRESIDENT-ELECT Clinton and Vice President-elect Gore look toward Jan. 20, they must confront the problem of reconciling their environmental rhetoric with economic reality. Much is promised: Al Gore’s environmental commitment is unprecedented for a vice president and adds to pent-up pressures to address environmental concerns. But this pressure comes during a flat economy and, […]
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