Topic: Environmentalism

Economic Trends, Environmentalism, Free Markets

Fake Meat: More Entrée or Agenda?

– December 5, 2023

“The plant-based alternatives industry appears to be facing its first true market test and doing poorly. It is a much smaller market than producers perceived, due to the noisy signals and political distortions of Conspicuous Production.” ~Phillip W. Magness and Peter C. Earle

Energy, Environmentalism, Regulation

A Short Guide to ESG: Goals

– December 4, 2023

“ESG goals are not primarily about shareholder value and enterprise value. The goals are often counter to the interests of shareholders and large segments of society.” ~Paul Mueller

Environmentalism, Fiscal Policy, Regulation, Technology

Let the Market, Not Government, Decide the Fate of EVs

– December 3, 2023

“Both for equity and economic efficiency, government inducements to hasten the number of EVs or charging stations are a bad idea. Governments can better spend taxpayers’ monies. EVs have a promising future.” ~Kenneth W. Costello

Energy, Entrepreneurship, Environmentalism

Politicians Talk; Entrepreneurs and Scientists Do

– November 30, 2023

“The worse the inability to get universal political agreement becomes, the better and more cost-efficient become the small-scale, positive-externality, science-based attempts at just doing the work.” ~Joakim Book

Energy, Environmentalism, Financial Markets, Regulation

A Short Guide to ESG: Advocates

– November 29, 2023

“I have categorized organizations by their function and highlighted a few organizations worth knowing in each category, from high-level, broad advocacy to nitty-gritty implementation.” ~Paul Mueller

Classical Liberalism, Environmentalism, Philosophy, Regulation

Thinking About the Regulation of Industrial Emissions Differently, Part II

– November 27, 2023

“All we know here is that humans are innovative and have a great capacity to creatively meet challenges without being prodded by politicians or mandarins. But no one can predict in detail how this creativity will manifest itself.” ~Donald J. Boudreaux

Art and Culture, Authoritarianism, Environmentalism

Thinking About the Regulation of Industrial Emissions Differently, Part I

– November 20, 2023

“Production of the likes of tires, furniture, steel, speedy transportation, and air conditioning and home heating is surely good for humanity. But such production requires energy and it produces harmful by-products.” ~Donald J. Boudreaux

Economic Education, Environmentalism, Monetary Policy

ESG as an Artifact of Zero Interest Rate Policy

– November 19, 2023

“The reasons attributed to billions of dollars leaving the ESG sector include concerns about greenwashing and political backlash. That the flight of funds coincides almost perfectly with the start of inflation and turned negative shortly after the Fed began its contractionary policy bias is either not noticed or considered.” ~Peter C. Earle

Economic Trends, Environmentalism, History

A Short Guide to ESG: History

– November 19, 2023

“Browsing the websites of ESG-advocating organizations gives the sense that ESG is cutting edge, technologically sophisticated, a wise investment strategy, and the road to increasing profitability.” ~Paul Mueller

Economic Trends, Environmentalism, Regulation, Socialism

A Short ESG Guide: Terms

– November 12, 2023

“While I have attempted to clarify the ESG advocates’ terms, the devil is in the details. One of the weakest parts of ESG is the ambiguity and disagreement, even among its advocates, as to how to define and measure many of their objectives.” ~Paul Mueller

Environmentalism, Financial Markets, Government, Regulation

A Short ESG Guide: Introduction

– November 4, 2023

“What many find most troubling is how much social control will be exerted by undemocratic and anti-market forces with little accountability.” ~Paul Mueller

Authoritarianism, Environmentalism, Regulation

Badgers and Environmental Laws

– October 26, 2023

“As ever more stringent measures are taken to ‘curb climate change,’ for instance, ever more anger will erupt over their impositions. The days of distant elites toying with our lives, in other words, are numbered.” ~Paul Schwennesen