For nearly 100 years, a copper smelter near Opportunity, Montana dumped tons of toxic metals, arsenic, and lead on its … More
Tag: environment
Environmental restoration requires better incentives
A driving force behind technological innovation and prosperity is “creative destruction.” Old enterprises and technologies are constantly replaced by new … More
How do we decide what environmental goals to fund?
If $10 million magically appeared and you got to decide how to allocate it between several environmental goals, how would … More
Transaction costs matter
Will Harris, a free-range chicken farmer in Georgia, recently learned first hand the importance of transaction costs. In the last … More
Monkey selfie case: another example that litigation-driven environmentalism is inferior to market-based conservation
In 2011, Naruto, a seven-year-old crested macaque played with a cameraman’s equipment, taking several selfies that have since gone viral. … More
Markets improve environmental outcomes without needing most people to notice, which also makes them vulnerable to public choice concerns
Counterintuitively, human prosperity is the engine of environmental improvement. As people grow richer, they care more about the environment around … More
We love federalism . . . until we don’t: committing to federalism would promote innovation, accountability, and hedge against national politics
Federalism—preserving the states’ independent policymaking role to promote innovation and democratic accountability—is a value embraced by people across the political … More
Trump’s infrastructure plan is an opportunity for states and environmentalists to use federalism to steer development in an environmentally friendly direction
Last month, the White House released a $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan that calls for $200 billion in federal infrastructure spending, … More
Showdown at the border(wall): the environmental perils of opposing all federal permitting reform
This week, a federal judge upheld the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to exempt construction of the border wall from … More
Sharing-economy conservation: why technology solves complex environmental problems better than regulation
Technology is dramatically reducing informational costs and making it easier for large groups of people to communicate and collaborate. Consequently, … More
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