48. What about free market environmentalism? (Ronald Bailey)

Protection of the environment is strongly associated with regulation of the human activities that threaten it, and regulation is usually administered by government. Although almost everyone would probably agree that some regulation is necessary, regulation has a patchy record when it comes to environmental protection. And there is another approach to achieving environmental goals. Free market environmentalism, instead of protecting nature from market forces, harnesses those forces to protect nature. Or at least that's the idea.

Ronald Bailey is the longtime science writer for Reason Magazine, a renowned American libertarian news & opinion outlet that’s been around for more than 50 years. Ron joins me to flesh out the case for free market environmentalism.

Links to resources

• Ronald Bailey - Ron's profile page on the Reason website
• The limits to growth - 1972 book about the possibility of exponential economic and population growth
• Population bomb - 1968 book by Paul Erlich that speculated about the dangers of overpopulation
• Silent Spring - 1962 book by Rachel Carson about the effects of pesticide on the environment and people
• Environmentalists Shocked That Local People Protect Forests Better Than Do Governments - 2014 article of Ron’s in Reason Magazone, including links to further information, about how indigenous peoples and local communities can be good stewards of the environemnt
• The Environmental Trinity — 2024 article by Jesse Ausubel about ecomodernism and decoupling from resource-use
• Our World in Data - A website that shows global trends in easy-to-grasp graphic format

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