economics
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Debate: Roberts v. ‘clean coal’ flack Joe Lucas
In early April, the excellent investigative journalism show NOW on PBS ran an episode called “Can Coal be Earth-Friendly?“ In conjunction with the episode, NOW hosted an online debate between me and Joe Lucas, spokesflack for the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE). We were given a series of five questions. We each answered […]
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Energy efficiency vs. neoliberal economics
I spent last week immersed in the views of professionals working to advance energy efficiency resource intelligence. I shall spare you more details — I realize there’s a limit to the wonkery even Grist’s audience can tolerate — but I do want highlight what strikes me as a key takeaway. A few facts to set […]
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Coal + CCS: not as expensive as other things!
If I told you that my cross-over dribble was better than Stephen Hawking’s, would you build an NBA franchise around me? If I told you I was better looking than Ernest Borgnine, would you pick me as the leading man for your movie? If I told you that my lifestyle makes Iggy Pop look like […]
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Does economic analysis shortchange the future?
Decisions made today usually have impacts both now and in the future. In the environmental realm, many of the future impacts are benefits, and such future benefits — as well as costs — are typically discounted by economists in their analyses. Why do economists do this, and does it give insufficient weight to future benefits […]
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CHP primer: Fun with thermodynamics
Those of us who believe (as I do) that there are massive opportunities to reduce US energy costs while simultaneously lowering our greenhouse gas footprint spend a lot of time getting into arguments with bad economists. These folks remember just enough of freshman theory (supply, demand, price, blah blah blah) to assert confidently that if […]
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Let millionaires pay to solve our twin environmental and economic crises
Economic and environmental problems are two consequences of one mistake, a mistake every farmer used to know the folly of: eating our seed corn
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Cap and trade works!
Congressman Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) on the radio last week: You have to believe in a tooth fairy to believe that we can regulate a cap-and-trade system. Say what?! That’s an odd thing to say. Cap and trade markets have been in existence for well over a decade — and the programs have worked quite well. […]
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What explains the recent popularity of market-based environmental solutions?
Despite the potential cost-effectiveness of market-based policy instruments like pollution taxes and tradable permits, conventional approaches — including design and uniform performance standards — have been the mainstay of U.S. environmental policy since before the first Earth Day in 1970. Gradually, however, the political process has become more receptive to innovative, market-based strategies. In the […]
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Are we hearing enough from real-world climate pollution reducers?
I’ve got a somewhat half-formed thought I’d like to throw out. I’m not sure I have the broad historical/academic/whatever knowledge to back it up (“What’s new?” they ask in unison), but let’s see if it resonates with anyone else. It’s well know that actual markets don’t behave like Ideal Markets full of Rational Actors — […]
