Environmental policy

Why is Human Well-being Increasing As Ecosystem Services Degrade?

5 Comments / Environmental policy / By

Michael Giberson Appearing in the September 2010 issue of BioScience: “Untangling the Environmentalist’s Paradox: Why is Human Well-Being Increasing as Ecosystem Services Degrade?” ABSTRACT: Environmentalists have argued that ecological degradation will lead to declines in the well-being of people dependent on ecosystem services. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment paradoxically found that human well-being has increased despite …

Why is Human Well-being Increasing As Ecosystem Services Degrade? Read More »

Natural Gas, Helium, Offshore Wind Power, and Cap-And-Trade Design Issues

2 Comments / Energy markets, Environmental policy / By

Michael Giberson A handful of stories of interest: The boom in shale gas has been a boon to homeowners who use gas, local economies with the resource, and manufacturers who make stuff with it, but it has “upended the ambitious growth plans of companies that produce power from wind, nuclear energy and coal. Those plans …

Natural Gas, Helium, Offshore Wind Power, and Cap-And-Trade Design Issues Read More »

The Differences Between Renewable Energy and Renewable Power in North Carolina

3 Comments / Electricity, Energy markets, Environmental policy, Regulation / By

Michael Giberson Under North Carolina’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard, poultry waste burned to boil water to generate steam to turn a turbine generating electricity will earn RECs which can be sold to electric utilities needing to meet the state’s new renewable energy standard. Also under the law, poultry waste burned to boil …

The Differences Between Renewable Energy and Renewable Power in North Carolina Read More »

Queue Jumping Privileges for Cng-fueled Taxis in Dallas

4 Comments / Environmental policy, Regulation / By

Michael Giberson Dallas has implemented a policy giving natural gas-fueled taxis rights to jump to the head of the queue at the city’s Love Field Airport. Independent cab drivers in the city are protesting. (They also filed a lawsuit. A judge has denied the drivers a temporary injunction while the case it litigated.) The privilege …

Queue Jumping Privileges for Cng-fueled Taxis in Dallas Read More »

Temporary Policies Have Temporary Effects – And Sometimes That is Good News

1 Comment / Energy markets, Environmental policy, Politics / By

Michael Giberson Recent research has revealed that the “cash for clunkers”-policy boost to car sales did little more than rush car sales that would have taken place over the following several months, and no evidence was found of broader economic effects on employment or home prices due to the so-called stimulus effects of the spending. …

Temporary Policies Have Temporary Effects – And Sometimes That is Good News Read More »

BP’s “Deepwater Horizon: Accident Investigation Report”

Energy markets, Environmental policy / By

Michael Giberson BP released the report of its internal investigation into the drilling accident in the Gulf of Mexico. Also available is a half-hour video explanation. The Financial Times energysource blog has identified some of the key points from the report and a response from Greenpeace as well: BP oil spill report: “No single factor” to …

BP’s “Deepwater Horizon: Accident Investigation Report” Read More »

Bedbugs, Public Policy, and Relative Risk Assessment

5 Comments / Economics, Environmental policy / By

Lynne Kiesling Over the past few weeks I’ve been paying some attention to the increasing, and spreading, bedbug infestations in the U.S. I’m not particularly squeamish, but bedbugs are rapacious colony-dwelling critters that can survive for a year without food, feast on the blood of sleeping animals (humans YUM YUM), and colonize easily in mattresses …

Bedbugs, Public Policy, and Relative Risk Assessment Read More »

Coasian Bargaining on Wind Turbine Noise

Electricity, Environmental policy, Politics / By

Michael Giberson Preston McAfee and Tracy Lewis introduce Coasian bargaining in their economics textbook with the question, “Can I just bribe my neighbor to stop being annoying?”  The complementary question, perhaps asked by the neighbor in question, “Can I just bribe my neighbor to stop being annoyed (or at least not to complain about me)?” …

Coasian Bargaining on Wind Turbine Noise Read More »

Copyright © 2022 Knowledge Problem Archive