Science & Technology

Earth Day and Four Decades of Fear Benjamin Zycher 04/22/2013

A vast array of blatherings have accumulated over the years, warning the end is nigh.

Greed Is Green: How the Profit Motive Helps the Environment Pierre Desrochers 04/19/2013

The search for increased profitability has long delivered both economic and environmental improvements by promoting the evermore efficient use of material resources.

A Dream Delayed: Man’s Mission to Mars Robert McHenry 03/15/2013

NASA has decided that private enterprise will have to take on the job of reaching Mars. A new generation of space-minded tycoons is ready for the mission. We can do it.

America’s Broadband Service Is Not Falling Behind Roslyn Layton 02/28/2013

It’s easy to think that the grass is greener abroad, but when it comes to broadband being delivered efficiently, there’s no place like home.

Memories of Peak Oil Vaclav Smil 02/21/2013

Is it too much to hope that even some catastrophists and peak-oil cultists will find it impossible to ignore the latest numbers?

Just How Polluted Is China Anyway? Vaclav Smil 01/31/2013

Decades ago, I wrote the first comprehensive books on China’s energy and environment. I have not been surprised by the country’s continuing environmental degradation; even so, I could not have predicted such a deterioration of air quality.

China’s Sick Yellow River Roger Bate 01/31/2013

China’s water pollution is even worse than its better-known air pollution. As long as the Chinese people have few private rights, government-backed pollution will continue.

Ignorance, the Ultimate Asset Bret Swanson 01/24/2013

To understand the success of modern knowledge economies and why government planning is folly, we must first understand that ignorance truly is bliss.

Voyager I at the Heliopause John Steele Gordon 01/18/2013

An extension of human ingenuity will soon reach the farthest limit of the sun’s empire. Beyond is true interstellar space.

Depending on Energy, Not Energy Independent Kenneth P. Green 12/17/2012

When considering energy independence, one has to strive for clear thinking and consider all of the potential tradeoffs and potential unintended consequences involved.