Washington State Carbon Tax Initiative Loses
Did voters recognize it as a green pork-barrel scheme?
Energy & Environment
Natural Disasters Are Destroying a Lower Percentage of Humanity's Stuff Since 1990
Absolute losses increased, but the proportion of losses relative to global GDP has dropped
What Would the Washington State Carbon Fee Initiative Really Accomplish?
Very little carbon reduction, lots of political patronage.
Extending the Electric Vehicle Tax Credit Undermines Tax Reform
Real reform requires simplifying the tax code.
Oregon Oysterman's Poop Problem Shows Need for Market-Based Regulations
If we want fresh oysters, good cheeses, and clean water, we should rethink how we regulate all three.
Just Stop With the Climate-Change Disease Scaremongering, OK?
No, global warming will not spark a black death pandemic that kills millions
How Big of a Deal Is an Extra Half Degree of Global Warming?
New report declares world must be off fossil fuels entirely by 2050.
Unlimited Growth and Climate Change Economists Win Nobel Prize
Paul Romer overturns limits-to-growth nonsense, and William Nordhaus projects climate change damages.
Should Dried Up Tree Frog Sex Ponds Limit Property Rights?
The Supreme Court will rule on whether the Endangered Species Act has failed wildlife and private property owners alike.
Gov. Brown Signs Stupid Straw Bill
California in a nutshell: Laws that "feel good" but don't work pass. One that might actually help kids gets vetoed.
High Yield Modern Farming Better for the Environment, Says Nature Study
Low yield organic farming uses up lots more land and harms biodiversity
We Should Eliminate Federal Electric Vehicle Subsidies for Rich People
79 percent of the EV tax credits go to households with adjusted gross incomes of $100,000 or higher
If You Hate Ice Ages, Thank a Farmer
Chopping down forests and irrigating rice paddies boosted greenhouse gases enough to prevent the onset of a new ice age
Pope Francis Calls for Global Regulations to Solve the Oceans' Plastic Pollution Problem
A lack of international regulations did not cause the plastic pollution crisis. Imposing them now won't fix the problem.
The United Nations Cites Bad Straw Stats While Lauding Latin American Bans
Pushing punitive bans is a strange activity for an organization dedicated to defending human rights.
New Jersey Gov. Vetoes Plastic Bag Fee Because It Doesn't 'Go Far Enough'
Environmental groups hope for an outright ban instead.
NASA Administrator: We Need a Space Force to Save Energy Grid From 'Existential Threat'
Is another bureaucracy really going to solve the problem?
The New Farm Bill Is Going To Suck
Just like the last one. And the one before that. And the one before that.
Rounding Up the Science Behind the Monsanto Glyphosate Ruling
"Irrational and even hysterical" reporting about glyphosate has served to poison the well of public opinion, says one researcher
Will EPA Trump California's Clean Air Act Waiver?
The Trump Administration is seeking to roll back federal automotive fuel economy standards and prevent California from maintaining more stringent standards of its own.
Portland's Clean Energy Tax Is Direct Democracy at Its Worst
Environmentalist groups are supporting a ballot initiative that raises taxes on retailers and consumers in order to pay for grants to environmentalist groups.
The Republican Carbon Tax Bill Would Create Powerful Commission With Access to All Government Data
The "National Climate Commission" would institutionalize special interests that favor taxes to combat climate change.
Don't Ban Straws
Banning straws "might make some politicians feel good, but it won't actually accomplish anything good."
Starbucks Wants to Send More Plastic to a Recycling Industry in Crisis
Thanks to Chinese restrictions on imported recyclables, even less of America's waste is getting reused.
Starbucks Bans Plastic Straws, Winds Up Using More Plastic
A Reason investigation reveals that the coffee giant's new cold drink lids use more plastic than the old straw/lid combo.
Oil Prices Are Rising. Don't Expect Trump's Tweets to Lower Them.
If the president does want to lower oil prices, he could push Congress to expand domestic oil production.
Trump's Trade War Targets Second-Most-American Pie Filling
Cherry growers get hit with steep tariffs right in the middle of their harvest season.
Is Membership in a Conservation Organization Proof of Criminal Intent to Harm Cattle?
Prosecutors in southern Utah have argued that they can prove that the closing of a corral gate was the crime of attempted wanton destruction of livestock by pointing to a defendant's membership in a conservation organization. Today I argue to the Utah Court of Appeals that it should review the First Amendment implications of the prosecutors' maneuver.
Seattle's First-in-the-Nation Straw Ban Goes Into Effect. More Will Follow.
The latest environmental craze claims another victory.
Laws That Are 'Impossible' to Follow Can Still Be Constitutional, Says California Court
Just because you cannot comply doesn't mean the law cannot exist.
Activists Say Straws Should Be Banned Because They Are a 'Gateway Plastic'
Advocates hope a straw ban will be the first step toward broader plastic prohibitions.
Impossible Burger Maker Denounces Friends of the Earth Activists As 'Anti-Science Fundamentalists'
Fear mongering over ingredients derived from genetically modified yeast
Federal Judge Dismisses Climate Change Damage Lawsuits Against Big Oil
Is it really fair for we who benefited from fossil fuels to blame for global warming on those who supplied what we demanded?
Every European Union Country Is Failing to Meet Their Climate Change Commitments
Meanwhile U.S. carbon dioxide emissions continue to fall
Eliminate, Don't Expand, Electric Vehicle Credit
Congress should resist the call of special interests.
What Cause Could Possibly Be Awful Enough to Unite Portland, Calvin Harris, and McDonald's?
Another crop of celebrities, cities, and corporations declare war on single-use plastic straws.
Germany Flops on Climate Change Goals
Germany won't be able to meet the goal of cutting emissions by 20 percent before 2020. But the attempt caused residential energy prices to double.
Antarctic Ice Sheet Is Melting Faster: New Study
Sea level rise rate has increased marginally, but are we doomed in the future?
Sucking Carbon Dioxide from the Air to Produce Gasoline?
Carbon-neutral transportation fuels might be possible.
Tom Brady Is the Latest Celebrity to Hop On the Anti-Straw Bandwagon
Celebrity environmental activism against straws only lends moral support to prohibitionist politicians.
'National Security' a Lousy Excuse for Lousy Trade and Energy Policies
Extending the justification would allow government intervention into just about anything.
European Plastics Ban Takes Aim at Straw Man
Plastic straws face another setback with a proposal for a continent-wide ban.
New York the Latest City to Take Aim At Plastic Straws
Momentum to ban these convenient suckers keeps growing.
L.A. Times Investigation Tells Sad Story of Attempts to Electrify the City's Bus Fleet
The paper found city officials have spent $330 million and don't have much to show for it.
Steven Pinker Loves the Enlightenment
The Harvard psychologist splits the difference between Dr. Pangloss and Pope Francis.
It's Time To Put Our Federal Meat Inspection Law Out To Pasture
Outdated regulations are hampering the beef meat industry.
The Farm Bill Was Bad Policy, But That's Not Why the House Killed It
The corporate welfare in the farm bill is likely to end up on President Donald Trump's desk anyway, even after a surprising defeat in the House.
