A new post on the environmental economics blog tries to link environment with economics. Like explained there, many environmentalists believe economics is somehow driven by concerns that are contrary to environmental goals.
The article argues that many current economists are very much concerned with environmental issues, even if they might have different approaches.
Of course economists don’t agree on everything, and there is always some economist hack at one of the rightwing “think tanks” who will put forth an outlandish idea—but by and large the most well-respected mainstream economists are squarely on the side of environmentalists.
Something I would like to add to the conversation, the origin of economics is actually founded in environmental concerns. Adam Smith was a professor of ethics, and the main argument of The Wealth of Nations was that free markets can maximize the productive use of resources. What is more environmental than that?
Over time, I have become more and more convinced that much of Keynes’ teaching has distracted the world from the true goals of economics. Keynes’ teachings tell us we should direct policy toward maximizing economic growth and employment. As a primary goal, that distracts policy makers from the true goals of economics, the efficient use of resources for producing what we need and want.
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