While many farmers are conscientious stewards of the environment, the incentives of U.S. agricultural policies can lead to practices that damage the environment. Agricultural price supports and trade barriers stimulate production on marginal land, leading to overuse of pesticides, fertilizers, and other effluents. A central if unstated purpose of U.S. farm policy is toContinue reading “Wreaking Environmental Harm”
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The Shifting Roles of NGOs
Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) used to be gadflies and outsiders challenging businesses and governments (think Greenpeace and Public Citizen, for example). Today, however, NGOs are moving in new directions. Some, for example, are acting increasingly like government agencies, issuing a new generation of de facto regulations in the form of standards, guidelines, and certifications. OthersContinue reading “The Shifting Roles of NGOs”
Chili Power
African elephants are not only majestic animals, but also cropraiding nuisances, endangering human lives and livelihoods. Conservation groups have determined that in order to protect elephants it is necessary to protect the people who are sharing the land with them. It is a complex situation that in some areas has been solved by the simpleContinue reading “Chili Power”
At Home in Debris
Typically in the past, rural and suburban landowners had no trouble taking care of their seasonal accumulations of brush, branches, dead leaves, and other organic debris. They piled it in the backyard and set it alight. Now, many towns and counties ban outdoor burning as the smoke can cause health problems. The alternative is toContinue reading “At Home in Debris”
Down on the Farm
In a 100-acre Iowa farm field, hemmed in by electrical fencing, 2,000 pigs are contentedly doing whatever pigs do. The farmer who owns them, Paul Willis, refers to them as his “free-range” pigs. His good humor, however, does not extend to those who raise their pigs in containment buildings with the aid of steroids, hormones,Continue reading “Down on the Farm”
Your Pants Are Made of What?
What is the world coming to when Diane Von Furstenberg, Halston, and Oscar de la Renta are using materials made from wood pulp, bamboo, corn fiber, and Japanese leaves that contain anti-allergens. Clothing derived from these strange sources was assembled into “eco-outfits” and featured in the windows of Barneys New York, a high-end specialty storeContinue reading “Your Pants Are Made of What?”
A Cautionary Tale
Over the last decade, the precautionary principle –“better safe than sorry”– often has been invoked to justify government regulatory action. According to advocates of this principle, we must protect ourselves from potential environmental threats –such as greenhouse gases, nuclear power, or arsenic in drinking water– even if we are not sure exactly what will beContinue reading “A Cautionary Tale”
Free Market Environmentalism Is a Win-Win for Everyone
When Donald Leal and I wrote our book, Free Market Environmentalism, in 1991, a reviewer said “the title is an oxymoron and the authors are the moron part.” At the time, nearly everyone considered markets the enemy of the environment. But as Bob Dylan put it, “the times they are a-changing.” In the past decadeContinue reading “Free Market Environmentalism Is a Win-Win for Everyone”
PERC’s Don Leal Appointed to IFQ Advisory Panel
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has appointed PERC Senior Fellow Don Leal to serve on an Ad Hoc Grouper Individual Fishing Quota Advisory Panel. Leal is one of two NGO representatives with Pam Baker of Environmental Defense filling the second position. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is one of eight regionalContinue reading “PERC’s Don Leal Appointed to IFQ Advisory Panel”
Roundtable Discussion of Montana’s Stream Access
September 19, 2005 Hosted by PERC On September 19th PERC hosted a roundtable discussion on the issue of stream access in Montana. Twenty three discussants and 6 observers participated in Bozeman. A wide spectrum of interests was represented, from traditional and new (out-of-state) landowners to public access advocates. The Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Department participated,Continue reading “Roundtable Discussion of Montana’s Stream Access”