Articles by David Roberts

David Roberts was a staff writer for Grist. You can follow him on Twitter, if you're into that sort of thing.

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  • Why aren’t more economists backing win-win climate solutions?

    I’ve been reflecting a bit on this post I wrote yesterday on Paul Krugman’s primer on climate economics. Long story short, I wish I hadn’t written it. Not because I’m not interested in (and obviously somewhat exercised by) the role of rational choice theory in mainstream economics, but because it wasn’t the main point I […]

    David Roberts Politics

  • Hey Paul Krugman: How about less econ theory and more econ mechanics?

    Illustration by Michael Freimuth and Kyle PoffMany people, including me and, um, Al Gore, have recommended Paul Krugman’s primer on climate economics. It’s a top-notch introduction and a welcome antidote to the ignorance and hysteria that characterize most media coverage of climate policy. Read it! In describing environmental economics, however, Krugman simply passes along many […]

    David Roberts Politics

  • With so much potential for energy efficiency, why is the South so inefficient?

    When it comes to energy reform, the American South has often been a deadweight, anchoring the country to the status quo. There are any number reasons why: It’s oil, coal, and nuke country. It’s heavily Republican. Many of the affluent white men who dominate its politics view energy as part of the culture war, another […]

    David Roberts Politics

  • Friday music blogging: Gigi

    I grew up listening to my dad’s vinyl. (Kids, point your iThingies here to learn more!) He was a fan of late ’50s and early ’60s Brill Building-style pop — early Beatles, Little Richard, The Coasters, The Everly Brothers, The Shangri-Las, Frankie Avalon, and compilations with names like “At the Hop.” (Kids, a “sock hop” […]

    David Roberts Uncategorized