South Florida, like many coastal communities, faces tough decisions about how to adapt to changing coast lines and rising seas. … More
Tag: climate change
Should FEMA act as a national zoning board or use market incentives to reduce disaster risk?
Last week, a nominee to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency generated fireworks when, during his confirmation hearing, he said … More
A flood of red tape: why is it harder to buy out flood prone properties than to rebuild?
This year, the Mississippi River experienced its longest flood on record, with parts of the river exceeding flood levels for … More
Climate conscious consumers: study suggests better-informed consumers would reduce their climate footprint
Often, environmental challenges are the result of externalities—costs of a good or service that are not borne by the producer … More
No suit for you: Federal court dismisses California climate change cases against oil companies
Cities across the country have brought novel lawsuits seeking to hold oil companies responsible for climate change—in particular, the city’s … More
Paying California farmers to suck up the state’s excess carbon dioxide
In April, California launched its latest climate change initiative: In a grand experiment, California switched on a fleet of high-tech … More
The role of property rights in steering climate adaptation
Charleston, South Carolina is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of sea level rise due to climate change. A low lying … More
Zoning regulations harm the economy and the environment
Zoning harms the economy by frustrating interstate migration and the environment by encouraging sprawl and undermining climate mitigation.
Is EPA head Pruitt a federalism hypocrite for criticizing California climate policy?
Federalism is not a facile commitment to “states-rights” no matter what states do. EPA Administrator Pruit’s criticism of California’s attempt to regulate beyond its borders is entirely consistent with a commitment to federalism.
Ideological blinders affect both extremes of the climate debate
Climate change challenges conservative and libertarian instincts in a way that makes it harder to believe the evidence, no matter how strong it is. Climate evangelists likewise tend to embrace science and evidence when it confirms their prior political views and reject it otherwise. For progressives and big-government liberals, climate change is easy to accept to the extent it seems to call out for a big-government solution. But even among climate evangelicals, where science and their prior political commitments conflict, politics usually win.
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