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
Trump administration targets implausible emissions scenarios
I submitted comments last week in support of the US Global Change Research Program’s proposal to amend the 2023 Fifth US National…
Blog
Europe’s heat wave tragically demonstrates the need for air conditioning
Western European nations take a very different approach from the United States on many issues — immigration, defense, welfare, energy, health care, and more.
Blog
RCP8.5: Climate establishment officially retires extreme scenario (Part II)
Part I can be found here. Victim of its own success? Perhaps to save face or even boast of being right…
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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,…
Op-Eds
Cirque De Solar Power
Oh dear. It’s only Day 3 of the World Summit on Sustainable Development and already I’m pleading with Amazon to deliver “Out of…
Op-Eds
Bush’s Kyoto Secret
The “World Summit on Sustainable Development” got underway today amid several key questions. How would anti-globalization – and, possibly, worse — forces attempt to disrupt…
Op-Eds
Wealth Of Delusion
Half of the expected 50,000-plus delegates are already gathered here at the United Nations’ World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), scheduled to last a fortnight. …
Newsletter
Vol. VI, No. 17
Politics Greens Want Funds to Offset Summit Greenhouse Emissions Several observers have noted the hypocrisy of tens of thousands of politicians, bureaucrats, and environmental activists…
Newsletter
Vol. VI, No. 16
Politics Global warming was put on the international map during the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, but is scarcely to be seen in the…
Op-Eds
Dream The Impossible Scheme
The Bush administration came out of the box on the energy issue with a reasonably positive mix of supply-side strategies – they are even willing…
Op-Eds
Texans Won’t Be Driven To California’s CO2 Craziness
While many people call Austin the “San Francisco of the South,” thankfully it's just about the only thing that the Lone Star State has…
Study
Modern Developments In The Treaty Process
Full Document Available in PDF Treaties are agreements between nations, or states.
Op-Eds
Why Enron Loved Kyoto, And the EU Shouldn’t
What do the proposed European Commission directive for trading CO2 emissions credits and the current malaise affecting American corporate life have in common?<?xml:namespace…
Newsletter
Vol. VI, No.15
Politics State AGs Bash Bush with Climate Action Report Attorneys General from eleven States sent a letter to President George W.
Op-Eds
Why The “Sense Of Congress On Climate Change” Provision Should Be Stripped From H.R. 4
The findings presented in the Sense of the Congress provisions do not rest on a sound scientific footing and if carried out would…
Newsletter
Vol. VI, No. 14
Politics California CO2 Bill Passes The California legislature passed a bill on July…
Op-Eds
Climate-Science Shuffle
President Bush amazed supporters and detractors alike with his recent submission to the United Nations, “Climate Action Report 2002” (CAR), debuting a U.S. position that…
Op-Eds
The Anti-Power Act: A Jeffords Special
Thursday, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will vote on whether to approve S. 556, “the Clean Power Act,” proposed by James Jeffords,…
Newsletter
Vol. VI, No. 13
Economics “Clean Power Act” Up for Senate Committee Vote The U.S. Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee is scheduled to mark up and…
Op-Eds
Another Hot Shoe May Drop
Certainly, the Bush administration recently contradicting the president’s position, adopting to a great extent global warming alarmism in report to the United Nations,…
Op-Eds
Multi-Pollutant Madness
Today the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold its fourth hearing on the “Clean Power Act” (S.556) proposed by Sen. James…
Study
“Multi-Pollutant” Regulation Of Carbon Dioxide: Shrewd Politics, Bad Policy
Full Document Available in PDF Although President Bush…
Newsletter
Vol. VI, No. 12
Politics Bush Administration Stumbles into Quicksand With the release of a report on global warming, the Bush Administration has…
Op-Eds
Bush Must Withdraw Global Warming Report
The left’s latest attack on President Bush’s opposition to the Kyoto global warming treaty was launched with not even a whisper of warning on June…
Comment
Joint Letter To President Bush On The EPA’s Climate Action Report
Dear President Bush, We write to share our concerns with Climate Action Report 2002, which your administration recently transmitted to the United Nations Framework…
Op-Eds
CEI’s Marlo Lewis submits comments to DOE on the proposed Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program
Letter available in pdf format This letter responds to the Deparment of Energy's request for comment on the Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse…
Op-Eds
Is Bush Playing Treaty Chicken?
As one of the first manifestations of President George W. Bush's supposed campaign of foreign policy “unilateralism,” last year he rejected, withdrew from or otherwise…
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
Jacob Tomasulo
Policy Analyst
- Climate
- Energy
- Energy and Environment
Kevin D. Williamson
Writer in Residence
- Climate
- Energy and Environment