Cleaning the commons

The ocean is a global commons. It’s owned by no one, controlled by no one, and open to all. Predictably, … More

Property rights can resolve conflict over Chesapeake Bay oysters

The Chesapeake Bay is the nation’s largest estuary, with a watershed that includes six states. Because of its size and … More

As wildfires become more catastrophic, are we overlooking free-market ways to lower the cost of reducing them?

Like many people, I’ve been monitoring, with dread, updates on the wildfires burning in California. The Camp Fire, which is … More

Are invasive species a menace or a blessing? It depends.

Around the world, many ecosystems have been altered by “invasive species”—nonnative species that migrated or were transported to a 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

To encourage more species recovery, we need to acknowledge and reward successes

Last month, a federal court ordered the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem population of grizzly bears put back on the endangered species … More

What are “reasonable efforts” to restore habitat? Supreme Court argument highlights the importance of who pays to recover endangered species

On Monday, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral argument in Weyerhaeuser Co. v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, … 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

Can states inject more local knowledge into water permitting?

Many federal environmental laws seek to leverage local knowledge by inviting states and local governments to participate in the federal … More

When parks are too popular for their own good

Point Lobos, known as the “crown jewel” of California’s state park system, is wildly popular with the local Monterrey residents … More