Homines libenter quod volunt credunt
Posted in Environment, You Can't Have it Both Ways on Jul 24th, 2017
Upon talking to many farmers and examining the literature, it is pretty clear that one producer advantage of using “organic” production methods to grow crops is that it allows sellers to price discriminate and charge higher prices for these products than more conventionally produced fruits, grains and vegetables. Indeed, a recent meta-study concluded that the […]
Posted in Environment, Price System on May 11th, 2017
Do you know of a study that has examined both (the difference) between the market value of the global assets at risk over the next 100 years from rising sea levels and increasing storm intensity versus the replacement value of the global assets at risk over the next 100 years from rising sea levels and increasing storm intensity? Do […]
Posted in Environment on Mar 25th, 2017
As readers can tell, I’m basically withdrawn from my online presence, and hope to slowly extract myself entirely one day. We’ll see. In the meantime, I want to write something about Earth Hour. Yes, as you all know I find this to be silly symbolism, and it probably directly makes the environment a tiny bit […]
Posted in Environment, Innovation on Feb 17th, 2017
NYS Parent Teachers association joins the ranks of the climate deniers. At the end of 2016, the NYS-PTA passed a resolution that aims to remove genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and genetically engineered (GE) foods from school cafeterias throughout the state. Resolutions adopted in November will: • Support mandatory labeling of GMO and GE foods. • Support regulations […]
Posted in Disingenuous, Environment, If I Really Hated the Poor ..., You Can't Have it Both Ways on Feb 15th, 2017
A very misunderstood idea is that “organic” foods are grown without pesticides. This is patently untrue. Organic foods are grown with “approved” pesticides – generally those that have a biological origin. Of course, this does not mean that these pesticides are worse, or better, than “unnaturally” produced chemical pesticides (aren’t biological pesticides also chemicals? Oh, […]
Posted in Economic Illiteracy, Environment, Price System on Feb 10th, 2017
If we truly wanted to reduce emissions from automobiles, and to save energy at the same time, we should hope to see a major swap. What would that be? Well, we would want to see all of the Toyota Priuses adorned with the following bumper sticker: Instead of the more typical ones you would find […]
Posted in Environment, You Can't Have it Both Ways on Feb 5th, 2017
It seems to me that anti-GMO activists are open and proud discriminators on the basis of sex. Transgenic breeding techniques are targeted methods of introducing genes with particularly desirable characteristics into a plant or animal species. These very same characteristics have been for thousands of years, and can currently be, bred traditionally into plant and […]
Posted in Environment, You Can't Have it Both Ways on Jan 22nd, 2017
So, reusable shopping bags are becoming even costlier than I argued earlier: My local supermarket, which is nationally recognized as being both great at customer service and also great at appearing green to its customers, has finally recognized that customers who use reusable shopping bags impose costs on other people in line by making the […]
Posted in Disingenuous, Economic Illiteracy, Environment on Dec 22nd, 2016
Now, reporters don’t usually write their own headlines, but this is just out there: Here is the longer piece. The headline makes it appear that all 600,000 residents of Las Vegas are getting solar power. Of course, you have to read the fine print that tells us only all municipal facilities are using renewable energy. That’s a […]
Posted in Environment on Dec 20th, 2016
All I want for Christmas is to have laid out for me clearly, with demonstrative scientific and economic evidence, what the most serious damages global warming has caused so far. I’d much appreciate the wrapping paper on the present not include a litany of “coulds,” “possiblys,” “mights,” “maybes,” etc. As a reminder, over the course of […]
