Climate change is not a hoax, but as a political matter, it is a persistent pretext for expanding government control over the economy, redistributing wealth, and empowering unaccountable elites at the expense of voters and their elected representatives.

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.

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Vol. V, No. 13

Politics Informal Talks Hit Early Snags   Informal talks are being held this week in the Hague in preparation for the resumption…

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Vol. V, No. 12

Politics<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” />   Bush Reaffirms Opposition to Kyoto, Proposes Alternatives   President George…

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Vol. V, No. 10

Pro-Kyoto Amendment Passes House On May 16 the U.S. House of Representatives passed the State Department Budget Authorization (H.R. 1646)…

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Vol. V, No. 9

Bush Administration Seeks Advice The New York Times reported on April 28 that the White House has held a number of high-level briefings on…

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Vol. V, No. 8

Global Warming’s Budget Blues   President George W. Bush’s proposed federal budget for FY2002 begins to…

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Vol. V, No. 6

Bush Decides Against Regulating CO2 President George W. Bush announced on March 13 that his administration…

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Vol. V, No. 5

The wrongheaded policies of the Clinton-Gore Administration have found new and perhaps more vigorous life within the Bush Administration. Recently, senior officials have made several…

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Vol. V, No. 4

IPCC, the Mythmaker In its latest headline grabbing move, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change…

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Vol. V, No. 2

IPCC Releases Political Summary The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, on January 20, approved…

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Vol. IV, No. 26

So far President-Elect George W. Bush’s nominees for top positions look wobbly on global warming. Bush has chosen Christine Todd Whitman as his administrator of…

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Vol IV, No. 25

Politics   Ottawa Talks Can’t Break Ice Jam The collapse of the global warming negotiations in the Hague last month has not…

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Vol. IV, No. 23

Politics<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> COP-6 Off to Shaky Start The sixth Conference of the Parties to the…

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Sam Kazman

Counsel Emeritus

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Marlo Lewis, Jr.

Senior Fellow

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Ben Lieberman

Senior Fellow

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Fred L. Smith, Jr.

Founder; Chairman Emeritus

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Kevin D. Williamson

Writer in Residence

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