In a dispute with Congress over the proper role of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) in retirement investing, President Joe Biden chose to promote progressive environmentalism. On Monday, Biden vetoed a congressional resolution to nullify a recent Labor Department rule issued that explicitly allows retirement managers to weigh ESG factors in investment decisions. Congress attempted […]
Great moments in unintended consequences—when something that sounds like a great idea goes horribly wrong. Watch the whole series. Part One: Tree Decree The year: 2019 The problem: Mexico needs trees! The solution: the Sowing Life project, a $3.4 billion program that pays farmers to plant fruit and timber trees on barren land. Not only will […]
No sensible person could favor irresponsible research and innovation. So RRI—”responsible research and innovation“—may sound like an innocuous idea. As it takes hold in Europe, though, the term has clearly become a cover for what amounts to a Luddites’ veto. Now the notion is percolating among American academics. If it finds its way to the […]
Let’s call it the “Biden way”: When our president can’t get his policies through Congress, he tries to impose them in other ways. Just look at his student loan forgiveness plan, which faced a stiff Supreme Court challenge this week, and his imposition of stricter “Buy American” provisions to the infrastructure-spending bill. Now, he wants […]
“This universe is finite. Its resources, finite. If life is left unchecked, life will cease to exist.” So declares the Marvel supervillain Thanos near the end of Avengers: Infinity War, when he destroys half of humanity with the snap of his fingers. In Superabundance: The Story of Population Growth, Innovation, and Human Flourishing on an […]