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
The Daily Caller
Biden’s Parting Shot At Energy Companies Won’t Tie Trump’s Hands
The Daily Caller cited CEI’s expert on climate cases Devin Watkins, an attorney for the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said he doubts that the recent filings…
Blog
Kerry’s statements reflect the moral failings of climate extremism
Last week, John Kerry told a Harvard audience how he thinks we need to address climate change: “We need to get people to…
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…
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Newsletter
Vol. VII, No. 9
Politics House Committee Will Take Up Sense of Congress Language on Climate The House International Relations Committee is scheduled to take up the State…
Newsletter
Vol. VII, No. 8
Editor’s Note This issue – our 149th – is the last issue for which Paul Georgia serves as managing editor. Next week, he…
News Release
Domenici Makes Right Decision on Climate Title
Contact for Interviews: <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> Richard Morrison, 202.331.2273 …
Op-Eds
Energy Bill Draft Capitulates On Global Warming
Little is more insulting these days than an accusation of French sensibilities. Sometimes, however, the chaussure simply fits, and rarely better than in analogy…
Op-Eds
Nix the Energy Bill: Better No Bill than an Anti-Energy Bill
The White House seems to believe that passing an energy bill—any energy bill—will help GOP candidates win in 2004. Because of this, Republicans…
Newsletter
Vol. VII, No. 7
Politics Senate Draft Energy Bill Contains Global Warming Title The majority staff of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee…
Op-Eds
A Backwards Step in U.S. Energy Policy
Which climate-related initiative poses the biggest threat to <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />America’s economic future?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”…
News Release
Senate Energy Bill Contains Costly Climate Mistake
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />Washington, D.C., March 31, 2003—Americans could face higher energy prices and energy rationing if new Senate…
Op-Eds
Misperceptions At The Gas Pump
Gas prices have surged, as have the demands for the government to do something about it. But only a few of the factors affecting…
Newsletter
Vol. VII, No. 6
Politics Japan Rethinking Kyoto Japan’s industrial sector is beginning to grouse about its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol, which…
Newsletter
Vol. VII, No. 5
Politics Court Orders EPA to Hand Over Climate Change Documents The Environmental Protection Agency has been ordered by the…
News Release
Attempt To Force EPA To Regulate CO2 A “Power Grab”
Washington, D.C., March 4, 2003—In a study published today, Competitive Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow Marlo Lewis challenges the arguments of several state…
CEI Planet
February Edition of CEI Monthly Planet
Full Document Available in PDF Articles in this edition:…
Newsletter
Cooler Heads Coalition Briefing With Christopher Essex And Ross McKitrick
The Cooler Heads Coalition Invites you to a Congressional and Media Briefing with Christopher Essex…
News Release
Proposed Fuel Economy Rules Threaten Lives
Washington, D.C., February 26, 2003 – The Competitive Enterprise Institute is filing comments with the National Highway Traffic Safety…
News Release
Court Orders EPA To Turn Over Climate Documents
Washington, D.C., February 24, 2003— The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has ruled in favor of the…
Newsletter
Vol. VII, No. 4
Politics Maine Bill Would Prevent Kyoto Implementation In an attempt to thwart Kyoto-style legislation and Kyoto-related activities in Maine,…
News Release
Attorneys General Base EPA Suit Over Carbon Dioxide Regulation On “Disowned” Report
Washington, D.C., February 20, 2003—As seven attorneys general reportedly prepare a lawsuit to coerce EPA to regulate carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act, the…
News Release
Coalition Urges Bush To Drop Greenhouse Gas Plan
Washington, D.C., February 10, 2003—The Competitive Enterprise Institute and 13 other public policy groups are urging President Bush to drop a scheme…
News Release
Boost Your Environmental IQ Online
Washington, D.C., February 7, 2003—The Competitive Enterprise Institute is launching a new online feature, the "e-class" quiz, this week. The quiz, developed by CEI’s…
Newsletter
Vol. VII, No. 3
Politics Attorneys General Threaten Lawsuit Attorneys general from three States-Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine-have notified the Bush administration of their…
Newsletter
Cooler Heads Coalition Briefing With Jesse Ausubel
The Cooler Heads Coalition Invites you to a Congressional and Media Briefing Climate…
News Release
Coalition Letter Urges Bush to Drop Greenhouse Gas Emissions Plan
Washington, D.C., January 27, 2003—The Competitive Enterprise Institute and 13 other public policy groups are urging President Bush to drop a scheme…
Newsletter
VII, No. 2
Politics States Seek to Regulate CO2 The American Legislative Exchange Council has released a report on the activities of state legislatures…
News Release
Success Of New Book Shows: Many Americans Don’t Believe Gloom And Doom Theories
Washington, D.C., January 14, 2003—The Competitive Enterprise Institute is celebrating the success of its latest book on environmental issues,…
Newsletter
Vol. VII, No. 1
Politics Cap-and-Trade-It’s Baaack! Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) plan to introduce a bill that would employ a cap-and-trade…
News Release
Trading Away Prosperity
Washington, D.C., January 6, 2003—This Wednesday, January 8, the Senate Commerce Committee will hold hearings on a proposal that would limit carbon dioxide…
Products
January Edition of CEI Monthly Planet
Full Document Available in PDF Articles in this edition: “The Grim Green…
News Release
Environmental, Other Regulations Under Scrutiny
Washington, D.C., December 20, 2002—From energy conservation standards for washing machines to labels on genetically modified food, many federal regulations are coming…
Newsletter
Vol. VI, No. 25
Politics Canadian House Approves Kyoto On Dec. 10, the Canadian House of Commons voted 195 to 77 to ratify…
News Release
Canadian Parliament Endorses Kyoto Protocol
Washington, D.C., December 11, 2002—The Canadian House of Commons voted its approval of the Kyoto Protocol this week, paving the way for full…
Newsletter
Vol. VI, No. 24
Politics Government Lacks Legal Authority to Award Emissions Credits On February 14, 2002, President Bush directed the Department of…
Products
November/December 2002 Edition of CEI Update
Full Document Available in PDF Articles in this edition: “FDA’s Pediatric Rule…
Newsletter
Vol. VI, No. 23
Politics COP-8 Boosts Adaptation and Poverty Eradication The Eighth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations’ Framework Convention…
Op-Eds
The Nice Treaty: Not So Nice For The U.S.
Yes means yes and no means maybe – at least that’ so among Europe’s elite. Which is ironic, because the Continental bien pensants would shudder…
Newsletter
Vol. VI, No. 22
Politics COP-8 Declaration under Fire A draft “Delhi Declaration on Climate Change,” which is to be adopted at the…
Newsletter
Vol. VI, No. 21
Politics Energy Bill Gets New Life As the Congress neared adjournment this week, the energy bill appeared…
Study
Get Your Money For Nothing And Your Credits For Free
Full Document Available in PDF…
Op-Eds
The U.S. Should Unsign Kyoto
Perhaps U.S. President George W. Bush believes it when he says the United States is free of the Kyoto climate change treaty. But if he…
Newsletter
Vol. VI, No. 20
Politics European Green Group Wants Trade Sanctions on U.S. Products Friends of the Earth Europe (FoE-E), an environmental pressure…
Newsletter
MIT Climatologist Richard S. Lindzen To Address Cooler Heads Coalition
The Cooler Heads Coalition Presents On The Meaning of Global Warming ClaimsA Congressional and Media Briefing By Dr. Richard…
Op-Eds
Powell for the Poor
The U.S. State Department is often the bane of conservatives' existence, mostly for its institutional embrace of the multilateral, let's-not-offend-anyone (particularly the Europeans), kumbaya-ism.
Newsletter
Vol. VI, No. 19
Politics Energy Bill Negotiations Near Climax The House-Senate conference committee on the energy bill is scheduled to start taking up the…
Op-Eds
Liberals Will Wriggle Out Of Kyoto
Prime Minister Jean Chrétien intends to ratify the Kyoto climate change accord this autumn, but is still haggling over its terms — which puts…
Op-Eds
Green with Greed
“Green” groups do quite well for themselves courtesy of business and foundations derived from corporate wealth (Pew, Ford, Rockefeller, Heinz, MacArthur). Still, the green…
Newsletter
Vol. VI, No. 18
Politics World Summit Nearly Global Warming-Free There was little talk about global warming at the World Summit on Sustainable…
Op-Eds
‘A Totalitarian Effort’
Stanley Kubrick may be gone, but his visions of a hellish future corrupted by the abuses of corporatist government are alive and well. Nowhere are…
Op-Eds
Russian Roulette
Russia played the first Kyoto card at this “World Summit on Sustainable Development,” and it just might be an Ace. A member of the Russian…
Products
August/September 2002 Edition of CEI Update
Full Document Available in PDF Articles in this edition: “Nothing But Hot…
Op-Eds
Careful What You Wish For
As over 100 judges from around the world at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) call for more lawyers to file more environmental lawsuits,…
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