There is also the constant conflating of climate policy with climate science in order to make subjective and ideological policy choices seem as if the science dictates those choices. But science informs policy, it does not provide objective answers to policy questions. However, those who disagree with the climate policy choices favored by extremists are labeled with offensive terms like deniers.
The Competitive Enterprise Institute rejects climate policies that assume Americans and humans all over the world must sacrifice their quality of living, be guilted into radical life changes, and give up on improving their standard of living in the name of fighting climate change. Even if the United States no longer existed, there would be little to no meaningful impact on global temperatures. Therefore, the myriad of extreme policies are all costs and no gain.
Using the force of government to impose policies that severely hurt humans today, especially the poor, without any meaningful benefits is not just foolish but indefensible. And when such policies are advanced, the proponents of those policies should always be expected to explain how their policy choices would meaningfully affect global temperatures. When they are unable to provide answers, which will be the case, their policy choices should be quickly dismissed.
The best way to deal with any genuine climate concerns is to remove government obstacles that hinder innovation, reduce wealth, and undermine prosperity and opportunity. Economic liberty benefits Americans generally, and at the same time, it is also the world’s best climate policy. After all, the wealthiest and most prosperous nations are far more likely to develop solutions to such problems than other nations.
Featured Posts
Blog
No more taxpayer dollars for environmental treaties until UN ends China’s developing country status
Most environmental treaties are a bad deal for the American people, and some are made worse by the fact that the United Nations (UN) classifies…
RealClear Energy
Microsoft Deal to Restart Three Mile Island Could Be a Game-Changer
Microsoft and Constellation Energy, the utility that owns Three Mile Island, announced a new deal on September 20th that will lead to the restart of…
RealClear Energy
The SEC’s Climate Disclosure Rule Is a Dark Cloud Over Energy Abundance
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) climate disclosure rule posts real problems for public companies. The SEC’s mission is to do facilitate capital formation and…
Search Posts
Blog
Further Thoughts on the Supreme Court’s Clean Power Plan Case
I heartily recommend the reply briefs by petitioners West Virginia and Westmoreland Mining Holdings, LLC in the Supreme Court’s Clean Power Plan case,…
Blog
New Climate Disclosure Rule Coming Soon from SEC
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will soon release a new proposed rule that will likely require climate change disclosures by public companies. Douglas MacMillan…
Blog
CEI Submits Appeal of Lack of Peer Review for EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding
The Competitive Enterprise Institute is challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s Endangerment Finding for Greenhouse Gases on procedural grounds. This is the document which supposedly…
Blog
Social Cost of Carbon Litigation – Who Will Have the Last Laugh?
The 10-State litigation led by Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry to block the Biden administration’s use of social cost of greenhouse gases (SC-GHG) estimates in…
Blog
Climate Risk, Climate Policy, and the Ukraine Crisis
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) sea-level rise report made a media splash when the agency released it in February. Headlines in the…
Fox and Friends First
VIDEO: Myron Ebell Joins Fox & Friends First
Director for the Center for Energy and Environment Myron Ebell joins ‘Fox & Friends First’ to discuss President Biden’s Russian oil ban and the need…
Blog
Climate Change as an “Existential Threat” Is So 2021
President Joe Biden confirmed in his State of the Union address to Congress on March 1 that climate change was last…
Blog
Clean Power Plan Litigation: The Supreme Court Should Rein in the EPA
On Monday, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency. Depending on how the Court decides it, the case…
Blog
Disregard the U.N.’s Latest Climate Screed
The second big part of the newly released Sixth Assessment Report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)—also known as the…
Blog
FERC Ignores CEI’s Advice to Steer Clear of Climate Policy
The Social Cost of Carbon (SCC) is a deeply flawed attempt to assign a dollar value to the cumulative climate-related damages caused by…
Real Clear Energy
Will the Supreme Court Rein in the EPA?
The Supreme Court will soon hear oral argument in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency. The Court will examine the lawfulness of the Obama administration’s…
Blog
Judge Cain’s Injunction Concerning Social Cost of Carbon Is Reasonable
Jonathan Adler’s recent article on a preliminary injunction by Judge James D. Cain makes it sound like it’s crazy, but I’m afraid that…
The Washington Examiner
Biden Looks to Pressure Investors Away from Fossil Fuels Via Climate Disclosures
The Washington Examiner cites Research Fellow Richard Morrison on how companies deal with environmental, social, and governance standards: Richard Morrison, a research…
News Release
CEI Requests EPA Reconsider Vehicle Emissions Rule After Federal Court Rules Social Cost of Carbon Likely Unlawful
WASHINGTON – The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) sent a formal request on behalf of itself and four individuals to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)…
Blog
Either Support Domestic Mining or Oppose the Climate Agenda; You Can’t Do Both
The Biden administration supports more electric vehicles and wind turbines and solar panels in order to address climate change. It should also support more domestic…
News Release
Court Stops Biden Admin from Transformative Expansion in Regulatory Authority
A federal court blocked the Biden Administration from implementing “social cost of carbon” regulations today. CEI experts reacted to the decision. Senior fellow…
Blog
Judge Orders Administration to Cease Using the Social Cost of Carbon
Today, in a sweeping ruling from the Western District of Louisiana, Judge James D. Cain, Jr. ruled that the Biden administration must shelve its…
Law & Liberty
Climate Tyrants’ New Tactics
Chief Justice John Marshall’s observation, “[t]hat the power to tax involves the power to destroy,” has become part of American political lore.
The Free Lance-Star
RGGI Is Climatically Meaningless
Gov. Glenn Youngkin raised quite a kerfuffle when, even before he took office, he said he would extricate Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative…
The Epoch Times
Biden’s Fed Nominee Faces Growing Opposition Over Climate Views
The Epoch Times cites the Competitive Enterprise Institute: About 79 percent of U.S. energy consumption comes from oil, natural gas,…
Blog
Social Cost of Carbon – Pretzel Logic Cannot Save NetZero Agenda
A new paper by economists Nicolas Stern, Joseph Stiglitz, Kristina Karlson, and Charlotte Taylor calls upon the Biden administration to set a “social cost of carbon…
National Review
The Environmental Left Is Its Own Worst Enemy
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has staked his legacy on the persecution of “climate deniers.” It’s a cause for which he seems ideally suited: He…
Blog
The Fed Is Not a Climate Regulator
On Tuesday, January 11, the Senate Banking Committee held a hearing on the re-nomination of Jerome Powell to be Federal Reserve chairman. If Powell…
News Release
Anti-Plastics Bill Could Eliminate Jobs, Raise Prices on Consumers and Create Shortages of Critical Products
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) released a new paper today, arguing the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act (S. 984, H.R. 2238), co-sponsored…
Study
The High Costs of the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act
Concerns about plastics waste in the world’s oceans have raised genuine issues about the impact of plastics on the environment. In response, Sen. Jeff Merkley…
Blog
CEI’s Advice to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: Steer Clear of Climate Policy
On Friday, January 6, CEI submitted comments on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s November 2021 Technical Conference on Greenhouse Gas Mitigation under Sections…
Blog
America Can Keep Its Cool If Senate Rejects Kigali Amendment
The Biden administration apparently wants to add air conditioning to the long list of items becoming more expensive. This latest threat to consumers comes from…
Blog
CEI in Amicus Brief Asks Supreme Court to Block the Clean Power Plan that Congress Rejected
People often talk about the undemocratic and illegitimate administrative state, of which the Clean Power Plan (CPP) is the perfect example. The Supreme Court will…
Blog
President Biden Sows the Whirlwind
It’s the president’s job to console the nation when natural disasters strike, like the horrendous tornado outbreak last Friday night. Much of Mayfield, Kentucky,…
News Release
CEI Commends Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin for Promise To Withdraw Virginia from Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
WASHINGTON – This week, Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin announced his intention to withdraw the Commonwealth of Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a…
Blog
CEI’s New Anti-Carbon Tax Study
CEI has a new study out this week titled, “Why Carbon Taxes Are Anti-Growth, Anti-Consumer, and Politically Dangerous for Conservatives.” It develops the following…
Study
Why Carbon Taxes Are Anti-Growth, Anti-Consumer, and Politically Dangerous for Conservatives
A tax on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, contrary to its advocates’ claims, is a market-rigging policy, not a free market one. Its purpose is to…
Blog
NEPA Is Not a Climate Policy Framework. CEI Submits Comments on Biden Proposal
CEI submitted comments yesterday opposing the Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ) proposal to repeal regulations adopted by the Trump CEQ in July…
The Washington Examiner
To Address Plastic Pollution, We Need More than Symbolic Actions
The buildup of plastic in the ocean is a real problem. During the past decade or so, U.S. and European lawmakers’ “answer” has come in…
Letters
CEI Leads Coalition Letter Urging Senators to Vote Against Ratification of Kigali Amendment
November 17, 2021United States SenateUnited States CapitolWashington, DC 20510 Dear Senator: The undersigned organizations strongly urge you to vote against ratification of the Kigali Amendment…
National Review
COP 26 Cables: The Glasgow Pact Is a Cry for Central Planning
TL;DR: The COP26 meetings closed with a whimper as realpolitik dashed dreams of an immediate green revolution. The insular community that thrives at…
National Review
COP26 Cables: A Bit of Argy Bargy among Countries Seeking the Spotlight in Glasgow
My Competitive Enterprise Institute colleagues and I are filing brief cables on COP26, the international climate conference being held in Glasgow, Scotland. Below is our…
Patriot Post
Green New Infrastructure
The Patriot Post cites CEI’s report on the Green New Deal: Just last year, the Competitive Enterprise Institute released a comprehensive report on…
Blog
1.5C Is Not a Tipping Point
A report released on Tuesday by Climate Action Tracker (CAT) made waves at the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow. CAT finds that with…
National Review
COP26 Cables: Lights, Camera, Action!
My Competitive Enterprise Institute colleagues and I are filing brief cables on COP26, the international climate conference being held in Glasgow, Scotland. Below is our…
Blog
CEI and AP Polls Agree: Americans Don’t Want to Spend Much on Climate Change
Both the recent Competitive Enterprise Institute and Associated Press polls on climate change find that a clear majority of Americans have at least…
Blog
Illusory Climate Benefits: CEI Files Comments on NHTSA’s Proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards
CEI submitted comments yesterday on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for model year (MY)…
Blog
Manchin Zaps De-Facto “Clean” Energy Mandate, Carbon Tax
The Hill reported yesterday that Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and John Tester (D-MT) “poured cold water” on Democratic colleagues’ attempt to include a carbon…
News Release
New CEI Poll: Four in Ten Americans Unwilling to Spend $1 Annually on Higher Gas and Electricity Prices to Mitigate the Effects of Climate Change
WASHINGTON – The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) released a new poll today, gauging the public’s views on energy issues and climate change as…
Blog
Illusory Climate Benefits: CEI Comments on EPA’s Motor Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards
CEI submitted comments yesterday on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards for motor vehicles during model years 2023…
The Washington Examiner
The UN’s IPCC Report is a Code Red for Climate Alarmism
This seems odd: This summer, the United Nations’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released the near-final version of its “Sixth Assessment Report,” an apparently comprehensive…
News Release
Biden EPA Rule Strictly Limiting Common Refrigerant Will Increase Costs Air for Consumers and Businesses
WASHINGTON – The Biden Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to strictly limit the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the most commonly used refrigerant in air conditioners…
Blog
Cost of Air Conditioning to Heat up, Thanks to New EPA Climate Regulation
We can soon add air conditioning to the long list of products contributing to inflation, thanks to a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule,…
News Release
New CEI Paper Highlights the Benefits Plastics Products Provide Wildlife and the Environment
In a report released today, Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) senior fellow Angela Logomasini argues that misguided legislation before Congress could destroy the U.S.
Study
How Plastics Benefit Wildlife and the Environment
Several proposals designed to end America’s so-called addiction to plastics are currently pending in Congress. They include the Break-Free from Plastics Act (H.R. 2238, S.
Staff & Scholars
Sam Kazman
Counsel Emeritus
- Antitrust
- Automobiles and Roads
- Banking and Finance
Marlo Lewis, Jr.
Senior Fellow
- Climate
- Energy
- Energy and Environment
Ben Lieberman
Senior Fellow
- Climate
- Consumer Freedom
- Energy
Fred L. Smith, Jr.
Founder; Chairman Emeritus
- Automobiles and Roads
- Aviation
- Business and Government
Kevin D. Williamson
Writer in Residence
- Climate
- Energy and Environment