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Consequences of Climate Change

  During the transition to climate change, some species will be favored and some disfavored. The net economic consequences will depend on whether and how quickly humans take advantage of the changes. Most discussions of large-scale ecological change simply assume that the consequences will be harmful and that centralized government action is the best wayContinue reading “Consequences of Climate Change”

Straw Houses Withstand Huffs And Puffs

To many of us, straw is nothing more than brown stubble left behind after the harvest. Once considered an agricultural waste product, straw is the basis of a cost-effective and energy-efficient building material, providing an alternative to expensive lumber. In Perrytown, Texas, on the high plains of the panhandle, Cindy Thyfault of Stramit USA isContinue reading “Straw Houses Withstand Huffs And Puffs”

Engineering Nature

When employees of a Toronto business complained of headaches, irritated eyes and lethargy, all symptoms of the increasingly common “sick building syndrome,” their CEO called in a biologist. Typically, the answer has been to hire a phalanx of engineers and drain the bank account in an effort to alleviate the problem. In this instance, however,Continue reading “Engineering Nature”

Urban Sprawl: Pro and Con

By Randall G. Holcombe   The term “urban sprawl” has a bad ring to it. The name reinforces the view that metropolitan growth is ugly, inefficient, and the cause of traffic congestion and environmental harm. Before we decide we are against urban sprawl, however, we should be clear about what it is and why weContinue reading “Urban Sprawl: Pro and Con”

Prosperity and Environment

By Matthew Brown and Jane S. Shaw Deforestation, lack of safe drinking water, oppressive air pollution-these environmental ills are found frequently in Third World nations but rarely in developed ones. Even so, economic growth is still often portrayed as the cause of many (if not most) environmental problems. The economic literature has begun to addressContinue reading “Prosperity and Environment”