Climate Change

Archive for Climate Change

A Quick History of the Climate Change Policy Debate

1) CHORUS: Look at the peer-reviewed literature, you evil deniers. 97% of scientists agree, we need massive carbon tax STAT! 2) BOB: Actually, neither the IPCC reports nor the Obama Administration’s chosen computer models support the policies that are being pushed in the name of “consensus.” 3) NOAH SMITH: Ha, you think we can trust […]

Paris Power Ploys

My latest at IER, talking about the negotiations over climate policies. An excerpt: And so we see a familiar pattern: Political officials and their sycophants in the press telling Americans just how urgent a particular piece of legislation—or, in this case, an international “agreement”—is to fight a huge problem, and then the actual wonks in […]

Krugman Rejects Fear-Based Rhetoric, Except for Climate Change

This is my post at IER that went along with the commentary on Episode 10 of Contra Krugman. For the best line, first I need to set up Krugman’s claim: Finally, terrorism is just one of many dangers in the world, and shouldn’t be allowed to divert our attention from other issues. Sorry, conservatives: when […]

Two Posts on Energy Issues

A little awkward talking about the UN Climate Change meetings in Paris in light of today’s tragic events, but anyway here are my two latest Institute for Energy Research posts: ==> This one shows that oil prices (adjusted with CPI) are higher now than the 1950-2015 average. ==> Check out the frankness of the UN’s […]

Economists Are So Clever, They Can Make Good Climate News Bad

My latest at IER. My conclusion: To repeat, these researchers at Harvard and other elite institutions are very smart, and they haven’t made a mathematical mistake in their models. But the public should pause and ask if these sophisticated maneuvers match the more populist rhetoric they’ve heard on the issue. When even good news—in the […]

Potpourri

Sorry for the scant blogging, but I’m in the middle of a move to Texas. In six months, when you see the prodigious output of academic journal articles, you will thank me. (Or not.) Anyway: ==> I have a new Cato working paper on carbon taxes. I co-authored it with climate scientists Pat Michaels and […]

Seattle Green Groups Say Revenue-Neutral Carbon Tax Is a Joke

Specifically, they reject “standup economist” Yoram Bauman’s drive for a revenue-neutral carbon tax in Washington State. Although the story doesn’t mention it, I am pretty sure they think I’m funnier, too. Details here.

OMB’s Whitewash on the Social Cost of Carbon

Just in time for your barbecue on the 4th, the Office of Management and Budget released a 44-page response to critics of the White House’s handling of the Social Cost of Carbon. In this first of perhaps several posts at IER, I explain the deal with discount rates. An excerpt: Present dollars are more important […]