Pollution
California Is Doubling Down on Banning Plastic Bags
They're coming for new bags after old bag-ban failed.
Trump and Biden Both Get Globalization Wrong
Free trade brings us more stuff at lower prices.
No Progress on Global Emissions 8 Years After Paris Climate Agreement
Officials admitted at COP28 that they are not "on track" to achieving climate goals. And they are not likely to be any time soon.
Great Moments in Unintended Consequences (Vol. 13): Gun Buybacks, Poppy Payday, CAFE Standards
Good intentions, bad results
California Environmental Regulations Are Driving Truckers Out of Pennsylvania
The Golden State's new rules—which Pennsylvania's Environmental Quality Board opted to copy—will increase the cost of a new truck by about one-third.
Despite the Doomsday Narrative, Global Inequality Has Significantly Declined
This progress has been widely shared, to the great benefit of the people at the bottom of the distribution.
Cars That Don't Meet London's Emissions Standards Now Subject to Daily Fines
Studies are mixed on whether or not it will make a difference.
Presence of 'Forever Chemicals' in Paper Straws Highlights the Inanity of Plastic Straw Bans
A new study from Belgian researchers found that paper straws had higher concentrations of long-lasting, water resistant "forever chemicals" than plastic or steel straws.
Vivek Ramaswamy Thinks 'Wokeness Is a Cultural Cancer'
Why the businessman launched a long shot campaign for the presidency.
EPA's New Power Plant Rules Would Be Hard To Implement, Possibly Unconstitutional
The Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that the agency lacked the authority to regulate the entire energy industry at once, but the Biden administration is taking another swing at it anyway.
Happy Earth Day! Reason Recycles 5 Decades of Environmental Coverage
A selection of Reason's most incisive articles on population, pollution, resource depletion, biodiversity, energy, climate change, and the ideological environmentalists' penchant for peddling doom.
No, Recycling Will Not Save the Environment
Despite what you may have heard, many "recyclables" sent to recycling plants are never recycled at all.
Gas Stoves May Soon Be Banned To Protect the Children
Federal regulators and lawmakers are pushing bans after a new study came out linking indoor gas stove usage to childhood asthma.
Electric Cars Are Good, but We Still Need Fossil Fuels
"Engineers are really good at making things better, but they can't make them better than the laws of physics permit."
Driving Electric Cars Produces Little Carbon. Making the Batteries Produces a Lot.
Many politicians who want to ban gas-powered vehicles appear to misunderstand the science.
Are Paper Bags Really Better for the Environment Than Plastic Bags?
New Jersey is the first state to ban single-use bags made from both plastic and paper, but one is actually worse for the environment than the other.
When Sri Lanka Banned Synthetic Fertilizers, the Country Imploded
Green activists have some good points. But the pursuit of a chemical-free world hurts vulnerable people the most.
A New Green Revolution Is in the Offing
Thanks to some amazing recent crop biotech breakthroughs
Why Is the E.U. Telling Apple Which Chargers It Can Use?
If Europe really cared about e-waste it would stop mandating inefficient products.
Less Pollution, More Atlantic Hurricanes
An interesting and surprising research result.
Fossil Fuels Save Lives
Over the last 100 years, we've seen a 98 percent decrease in climate-related deaths. You can thank fossil fuels.
China's Old Climate Promises Are 'New' Again
The Glasgow Declaration's empty platitudes confirm that China will not be hectored by the U.S. into making any significant changes to its climate policies.
A Fresh New Year Means Fresh New Restrictions on Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers
From California to Washington, D.C., new restrictions on gas-powered landscaping equipment are blanketing the nation.
'Spermageddon' Has Been Canceled, Says New Study
The claim that men face ‘environmental emasculation’ via exposure to synthetic endocrine disruptors is debunked.
Why Is the East Side Poorer than the West Side?
A new paper suggests that pollution (and prevailing winds) may be part of the answer.
California Cities and State Regulators Are Coming for Your Gas-Powered Leaf Blower
Some 60 cities have banned or restricted gas-powered landscaping equipment. State air quality regulators are looking to do the same.
Trump Tries On the Mantle of Environmental Leadership. Does He Deserve It?
"We're working hard, maybe harder than all previous administrations, maybe almost all of them."
Backers of California's Paper Receipt Crackdown Overhype 'Skip the Slip'
A California bill to crack down on paper receipts relies on scare tactics and misinformation.
Maryland Passes Bill to Outlaw Foam Containers
If Gov. Larry Hogan signs the measure into law, Maryland will be the first state to issue a ban on foam food containers.
Having Won the War Against Straws, California Mulls a Crackdown on Paper Receipts
A new bill would fine businesses up to $300 for giving customers unsolicited paper receipts.
Environmental Protection Agency
The EPA Wants to Get Out of Puddles and Ditches. Environmental Activists Are Outraged.
A welcome new federal approach under the Clean Water Act.
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.
Did Leaded Gasoline Contribute to the U.S. Baby Bust?
Maybe, but it's more likely that Americans chose to have fewer kids.
Scott Pruitt Kicks Himself in His Own Ass, Again
EPA head bars reporters from 'unfriendly' media from public meeting on pollution
Environmental Protection Agency
Activists Decry Effort to Bring Economic Rationality to Clean Air Regulation
"A standard demanding the return of the Stone Age would not prove 'requisite to protect the public health.'"
High School Students Are Very Worried About Overpopulation. They Shouldn't Be.
New report claims U.S. overpopulation will blight their futures.
Does the Colorado River Have Rights?
The river doesn't need rights if people have strong property rights to its water.
A Spectacularly Stupid Idea: Governing Land as a Global Commons
Making an environmental resource a commons is tantamount to calling for its destruction.
Relax: Gutting the EPA Won't Make Your Air Dirtier and Water More Polluted
There have been diminishing returns to federal pollution regulation for a long time
Environmental Protection Agency
Trump, Navigable Waters, and the EPA's WOTUS Regulations
Rolling back a "federal land grab" or instituting an "unmitigated disaster for fish and wildlife, hunting and fishing, and clean water"?
Protester Trash and Debris Threaten Water Contamination at Dakota Access Pipeline
Clean-up efforts are in a race to beat the coming floods.
