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Is Free Market Environmentalism "Mainstream"?
By Terry L. Anderson and Jane S. Shaw Is free market environmentalism part of "mainstream" environmental economics, or is it just "one school"? The answer is that it may have been just "one school" when it was introduced in the late 1970s, but it has become part of the mainstream. Many mainstream economists have found that the well-accepted principles that explain market behavior and underlie prosperity also explain environmental problems and offer ways to solve them This essay is from a PERC book titled "A Blueprint for Environmental Education." (It is now out of print) |
Is Free Market Environmentalism “Mainstream”?
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PERC Reports Magazine, Summer 2026
A special issue exploring American conservation history as the nation turns 250.
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Thomas Jefferson: The Lost Founding Father of American Conservation
Two years before he authored the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson set out on the lifelong project of conserving Virginia’s Natural Bridge. Michaelle Browers has described the effort as “perhaps the first major act of nature preservation in the new republic.” The man who would be Governor of Virginia and President of the United StatesContinue reading "Is Free Market Environmentalism “Mainstream”?"
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How the Eagle Came Back
As we celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary, it is heartening that America’s national symbol, the bald eagle, is no longer imperiled. Although once at risk of extinction throughout much of its historical range, this majestic species rebounded in the late 20th century, and populations are now in good health. At the time of the nation’sContinue reading "Is Free Market Environmentalism “Mainstream”?"