Two companies that appear to have little in common have joined forces to build processing plants that will convert biomass to energy and create organic fertilizer at the same time. The plants will burn the waste to produce steam that can power electric generators. The leftover residue can be sold as fertilizer. The partners areContinue reading “Waste Not Want Not”
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The Caribou Question
As politicians debate oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), public attention has turned to the caribou. Due to their large numbers, lengthy migrations, and importance to traditional Alaskan cultures, these ruminants are probably the most prominent animal species on the North Slope of Alaska. Opponents of oil exploration often evoke theContinue reading “The Caribou Question”
The Legacy of the DDT Ban
Malaria makes a comeback.
Heirloom Apples: A Market Taste?
Does commercial activity destroy diversity?
Taking on the Commons
Local control preserves Maine lobster fishing.
Arctic Expeditions of the 19th Century
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”
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”
Agriculture and the Environment
A look at the major environmental constraints that limit U.S. food production without necessarily improving environmental quality.
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.
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.