Everyone wants to help the environment, but blindly following trendy environmental fads can often do more harm than good. Eco-fads squander precious resources and waste the opportunity to adopt more beneficial strategies.

One of the most common errors made by environmental activists is to believe that only radical revolutions make an environmental difference. In fact, environmental improvement comes incrementally as we find ways to do more with less. read more »

Here is a pop quiz for people who support the Occupy Wall Street movement: Which U.S. senator wrote the following statement in 2009, in the midst of the current financial mess?

“… customized contracts are essential for firms to adapt to the new regulations, hedge risk, and raise capital. New York’s financial industry is already the global leader for existing customized commodity products and would be exceptionally well positioned to provide the legal and financial expertise necessary for these new products.” read more »

“GREEN is a trend and people go with trends… I don’t think people know the real facts.”

These words of a green consumer reported in The New York Times last year echo what we see everywhere: environmentalism has become trendy, and green fashion is all the rage.

From plaques on the sides of “green” buildings, to bright green reusable grocery bags and hybrid cars, the evidence is everywhere. People like to publicly proclaim their concern for the planet, politicians prominently highlight their latest green proposals and business owners promote environmentally friendly products — while each seeks to reap social and financial rewards in the process. read more »

After years of failed top-down approaches, it is time for a fresh start for environmental policy in Washington. Consider the record:

• The state published more than 1,000 pages of recommendations for climate policy in 2007 and 2008. When legislators rejected them, the Governor issued an executive order, but later admitted the Order did not “create new legal obligations” - it was only voluntary. Still, the Department of Ecology cut funds from pollution-reduction programs to fund this quixotic effort. read more »

During the past five years, the legislature has enacted more than two dozen environmental policies ranging from climate change, to clean water and banning flame-retardant compounds. While these policies receive significant attention as they are being considered by the legislature, few of them are audited afterward to determine if they are having the intended results. read more »

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In politics, however, there is an even higher form of flattery: having your opponent lie about your beliefs.

Candidates and political activists faced with an opponent whose position they find difficult to attack often resort to the tactic of simply lying about what their opponent believes. Such a tactic is an admission that in an honest debate they doubt they could win, thus conceding the strength of their opponent’s position. read more »

When discussing global warming, one phrase recurs: “scientific consensus.” Environmental activists often cite “science” when arguing for far-reaching and costly responses to global warming. Ironically, those activists ignore the findings of that same science. The potential impacts they cite are based not on science but on speculation which contradicts the actual science. read more »

The images are ominous. Rising water rapidly covers large areas of New York and other major cities in Al Gore’s movie. Similar graphics show large portions of Seattle and Olympia underwater by 2100. A sports magazine cover shows a player knee deep in a flooded baseball stadium.

The threat of sea level rise is the most commonly cited threat of climate change. It is often used to justify the at-all-costs approach to address greenhouse gas emissions. Frequently these images are combined with the claim that “scientists” are warning of catastrophic ocean flooding. read more »

About mid-way through the public meeting, one resident summed it up. In considering whether to approve a new dock on Maury Island, he encouraged officials at the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to “follow the science” and make the decision based on the evidence. He added, without a hint of irony, “but if the science is wrong, do what you think is right.”

In other words, follow the science, unless you don’t like it, then do what you want anyway. read more »