OPINION/COMMENTARY

The "Rights" of Future Generations The Kyoto postulation is that we have to make a decision today that is quite expensive (reducing emissions and increasing the cost of energy, thus increasing the cost of living) in order to produce a net benefit tomorrow. In other words, the costs that we have to face today will turn into a gain for our descendants -- that is, for people other than us -- tomorrow. This in turn assumes that we know a whole series of preferences that logically and practically cannot be known, neither by those of us living now or by future generations...

Are We All "Damn Fools"? Yet today it is received wisdom that we are all damn fools, because global warming is causing glaciers to melt all over the world. Most of the attention that has been paid to this phenomenon expresses concern about the effects on sea level. On top of this there is a new concern spreading through the environmentalist community about the long-term effect of glacial melt on sources of drinkable water. However, a review of the recent scientific evidence on glaciers suggests that, as is so often the case with global warming, much of the concern is overwrought, poorly based or simply alarmist...

Ecoterrorism a Real Threat to Homeland Security In contemplating how to prevent future terrorist attacks on the United States, we should bear in mind that the Islamic terrorism of Osama bin Laden isn't the only threat to life and property posed by extremist groups. For years, the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) have been carrying out acts of violence all across the United States. The FBI believes that the two organizations have committed over 600 acts of terrorism over the past seven years and have caused about $43 million in damages...

Hurricane Isabel a Byproduct of Industry? Upon learning of the World Watch Institute’s claim that Hurricane Isabel was a likely result of global warming, Competitive Enterprise Institute President Fred Smith issued the following response:
“Hundreds of thousands of people have lost power, water and phone service; thousands have had their homes damaged or destroyed, and all the World Watch Institute can do is point the finger at industry,” says Smith. “Hurricanes occurred a thousand years before the first combustible engine—back when the only emissions came from cooking fires. I find it irresponsible, if not reprehensible, that World Watch seizes upon a natural disaster to advance their radical and misleading environmental agenda.”

Organic Hypocrisy Organic farmers' way of using manure — combined with their avoidance of most chemical pesticides and fertilizers — increases risks of E. coli contamination. Yes, non-organic farmers apply far more manure than organic farmers. But the use of animal manure by non-organic farmers is almost entirely on feed/non-food crops (i.e., feed corn, cotton, etc.) where the risks to the consumer from the manure pathogens is zero...Very few non-organic vegetable growers use animal manure on their crops, whereas organic farmers (who produce more food crops than feed crops) are far more likely to use manure on crops eaten raw such as vegetables, in which case the product could come into contact with the manure and pose a pathogen risk to consumers...In the meantime: the Food Standards Agency recently recalled two organic corn meal products because they exceeded the proposed European Commission's fungal mycotoxin levels by 1,000-2,000%. (unfortunately, processing does not destroy carcinogenic fungal toxins the way it destroys pathogenic bacteria). No non-organic products were recalled because of overly high fungal toxin levels. Just another chink in the organic claim of superior food safety.

Leavitt as EPA Administrator? Utah Governor Mike Leavitt, nominated by the White House as EPA administrator to succeed Christie Todd Whitman, may well face an impossible task. In order to be confirmed by a split Senate, he would have to make far-reaching commitments that go counter to President Bush’s declared policies. But if he does so, he and the White House will face the wrath of many conservatives who support him. One wonders why the President would try to fill the position at all at this time and kick off a searing debate about his environmental policies in an election year.
There is little doubt that the confirmation hearings will turn into an attack on the perceived shortcomings of the Bush environmental record. High on the list will be carbon dioxide, global warming, and the Kyoto Protocol. The opponents will hark back to Bush’s campaign promise to limit CO2-emissions from powerplants. I watched his speech on TV and remember that he seemed to stumble over the word, perhaps thinking that it should have been carbon monoxide, a toxic gas already on the EPA control list, instead of carbon dioxide, a nontoxic and essential component of the atmosphere and the compound that provides the indispensable food for the growth of all plants and therefore the basis for life on Earth...