Government-sponsored polar expeditions made fewer major discoveries introduced fewer innovations, lost more ships, and had more explorers die. Throughout the nineteenth century, Arctic exploration dominated popular culture in Europe and America, much as space exploration did in the twentieth century. Both quests involved competitive races for major geographic prizes; both led to fame and honorsContinue reading “Arctic Expeditions of the 19th Century”
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The Legacy of the DDT Ban
Malaria makes a comeback.
Heirloom Apples: A Market Taste?
Does commercial activity destroy diversity?
Blowing in the Wind
For generations, families who settles on the prairies and plains of the great mid-section of the United States have done battle with the wind. It has scoured their fields, flattened their crops, and sent icy fingers under the doorways of their homes. But what was once a bane has suddenly become a boon. Brokers areContinue reading “Blowing in the Wind”
Taking on the Commons
Local control preserves Maine lobster fishing.
On the Brink
A small chocolate-brown mammal that inhabits the alpine reaches of Vancouver Island in western Canada has found a benefactor in what may be the nick of time. With just 40 Vancouver Island marmots known to exist in the wild and another 40 living in captivity, Gordon Blankenstein stepped forward to bankroll a private conservation effort.Continue reading “On the Brink”
Agriculture and the Environment
A look at the major environmental constraints that limit U.S. food production without necessarily improving environmental quality.
Pesticides and Property Rights
Two PERC researchers, reviewing the history of the banned pesticide DDT, have concluded that violation of private property rights lies at the heart of the conflict over DDT.
Is No Use Good Use?
Americans are on the fast track to land preservation as more and more federal land is set aside at an increasingly rapid pace. Now is the time to pause and ask if locking up great expanses of land provides the good stewardship that we want for our public lands.
Economic Growth and the State of Humanity
Economic Growth and the State of Humanity, by Indur M. Goklany, emulates and builds upon the contributions that Julian Simon made in reporting on the progress of humankind.