Publications -- Environment

Sep 27, 2006

BA #573 – Economic and Public Health Benefits of Coal-Based Energy

Coal is critical to electricity production in many countries and the United States is no exception. It is a low-cost source of reliable, baseload power - continuously produced power necessary to keep electricity flowing.

Jul 14, 2006

BA #563 – In the Public Interest: Tapping the Outer Continental Shelf

The United States needs oil and natural gas. Oil is fuel and a feedstock for plastics, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers and lubricants. Natural gas is used for cooking, heating homes and water, and is also critical to chemical manufacturing. The best estimates indicate that by 2025 U.S. oil consumption will grow by one-third - even with the rise of renewable biofuels - and electricity demand will increase by more than 45 percent, with natural gas fueling much of the new electric power generation.

Jun 26, 2006

BA #562 – How Economic Freedom Can Increase Oil Supplies

Surging demand for oil in rapidly developing countries like China and India and sustained demand in the United States and the rest of the world has outstripped growth in global production, reducing excess capacity to near zero and pushing oil prices to an all-time high of more than $75 a barrel in April 2006.

Jun 22, 2006

BA #561 – The Truth about An Inconvenient Truth

Former Vice President Al Gore has long argued that human activities — primarily the burning of fossil fuels — are causing the Earth to warm significantly, with potentially catastrophic results. His most recent attempt to persuade the general public of his view is a movie and companion book entitled An Inconvenient Truth.

Jun 08, 2006

BA #557 – Bringing Down Gasoline and Oil Prices

The national average price of gasoline is approaching the record high of $3.21 per gallon (adjusted for inflation) set in 1981. [See the figure.] The public is upset, and politicians are scrambling to find ways to reduce the pain of high prices or, failing that, to appease their constituents by investigating, penalizing or punitively taxing oil companies.

May 17, 2006

BA #551 – Polar Bears on Thin Ice, Not Really!

Recently, some scientists have claimed that human-caused global warming poses a significant threat to the survival of many species. For most species at risk, they argue, warming will cause the range of suitable habitat to shift faster than either the species (or their food sources) can move or adapt to a new range.

May 15, 2006

ST #285 – Climate Science: Climate Change and Its Impacts

Scientific debate continues regarding the extent to which human activities contribute to global warming and what the potential impact on the environment might be. Importantly, much of the scientific evidence contradicts assertions that substantial global warming is likely to occur soon and that the predicted warming will harm the Earth's biosphere.

Mar 30, 2006

BA #549 – Taxing Profits, Draining Energy

Gasoline prices last year never reached the inflation-adjusted peak of the 1980s, but due to a variety of factors they were much higher than Americans have become accustomed to recently. These included strong demand in the United States and several developing nations, production and refining decisions by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and political instability in a number of oil exporting countries.

Mar 24, 2006

BA #547 – Farm Subsidies: Devastating the World's Poor and the Environment

Subsidized agriculture in the developed world is one of the greatest obstacles to economic growth in the developing world. In 2002, industrialized countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) spent a total of $300 billion on crop price supports, production payments and other farm programs. These subsidies encourage overproduction.

Jan 25, 2006

ST #282 – Protecting the Environment Through the Ownership Society — Part I

President George W. Bush has promoted the "Ownership Society" as a solution to a variety of public policy issues including health care, housing and retirement.  This concept can be extended to environmental issues.