When a Small Leak Is a Big Problem

Made worse by leaky pipes, European water shortages could become a bigger problem that requires short showers.

Why a Carbon Tax Proposal is Like Goldilocks

When we look at the world’s carbon taxes, as economists we can think of Arthur Pigou and correcting market failure.

Six Facts: Everything We (Might) Need To Know About Clean Air

With COP27 having begun in Egypt, it could be helpful to be aware of these six facts about global air quality.

How a Flamingo and a Bear Have the Same Problem

The conservation or development tradeoff for flamingos and bears shows us the complexities of environmental decisions.

Why the Upside of Plastics Is Its Downside

We wind up with a plastics plight because the many wonderful attributes of plastic make it tough to avoid and tough to discard.

What We Need To Know About Decarbonization Policy

Looking at some of the key ideas from the World Energy Outlook 2021, we can see why decarbonization-policy is a huge challenge.

The Financial Side of a Climate Change Report Card

Looking at the financial side of climate change, we can use a KMPG report card to see if the world’s largest corporations have high grades.

The City That Has to Keep Its Garbage

Located in the middle of Alaska’s subarctic tundra, Bethel, Alaska has garbage problems because there is no easy way to ship its waste.

The Spillover From Sorting (and Not Sorting) Trash

The four colors of Shanghai’s trash-sorting bins make the new system look deceptively simple for households and businesses.

How Legos Discovered It’s Not Easy to be Green

If we want our Legos to match, attach, and detach, we might have to wait awhile for them to develop the appropriate bio-based plastic.