PERC was founded 40 years ago to explore how property rights and markets promote environmental conservation. After a decade of research, PERC economists Terry Anderson and Donald Leal compiled their findings into the book Free Market Environmentalism. The ideas were a voice in the wilderness—one reviewer went so far as to say, “Free market environmentalism is an oxymoron, and the authors are the moron part.”
Yet the authors and other PERC scholars persisted. They built on the theoretical foundations of free market environmentalism and wrote two subsequent issues of the book, providing proof-of-concept examples that showcase how markets can solve continued environmental problems.
Growing from a voice in the wilderness, the concepts of free market environmentalism are now celebrated around the world. PERC is proud to join with these many voices in authoring Green Market Revolution: How Market Environmentalism Can Protect Nature and Save the Planet, a new book published by the Austrian Economics Center and the British Conservation Alliance. The first of its kind, this book brings together experts from more than 15 pro-market and pro-conservation organizations around the world to explore market environmentalism.
This book puts forth an alternative vision for the future of environmentalism. Rather than relying on traditional political environmentalism and regulation, market environmentalism gets the incentives for conservation right through the involvement of free markets, innovation, property rights, and localized solutions. By exploring examples of market solutions in the past, the authors of Green Market Revolution propose much-needed ways to solve some of the most divisive environmental problems of our time.
We applaud the authors of this book for coming together to share their knowledge on market environmentalism. With these tools, we are equipping a new wave of environmentalists to think outside the box and replace traditional rhetoric with lasting conservation results. From wildlife conservation to ocean plastics to climate change, we are excited about the many ways our greatest conservation challenges can be solved with market ideas. We invite you to join us.
