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The Morality of Protecting Endangered Species

By | | Fish & wildlife, Policy brief
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Since the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973, around 1,750 plants and animals in the United States have been listed as endangered (meaning in immediate danger of extinction) or threatened (meaning likely to become endangered soon). Of those, 48, or less than 3 percent, have been taken off the lists because they have recovered. That’s not an inspiring success story, particularly since some of those species recovered due to actions that have nothing to do with the Endangered Species Act.

Click image to download a five-page PDF of this policy brief.

In addition to the 48 recovered species, another 10 listed species have been declared extinct. Two weeks ago, the Fish & Wildlife Service announced that it wants to declare another 23 species, including the ivory-billed woodpecker, to be extinct. Continue reading →

Addressing Droughts with Water Markets

By | | Policy brief
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“The West is running out of water,” says the Economist. “Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States, is at its lowest level since it was first filled in the 1930s.” This is “potentially the worst drought in 1,200 years” warns the Guardian. Moreover, frets the Washington Post, this isn’t just this year: “it’s our new, permanently arid normal.”

Click image to download a three-page PDF of this policy brief.

Many of these alarms were prompted by a major heat wave that hit the West in June, 2021. Since then, the West has cooled but remained dry: as of last week, about 22 percent of the West was in “exceptional drought” compared with just 2.5 percent a year ago. At the same time, the effects of the drought haven’t been as severe as might have been predicted. As of yesterday, for example, 5.9 million acres of land have been burned by wildfire, compared with an average of 6.9 million acres through this date over the previous 10 years. Continue reading →