Terry Anderson, professor emeritus of economics at Montana State University and executive director of the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC), spoke with Inside Academia this week on the concept of "free market environmentalism," the role of government in the environment, and the "academic arrogance" coming from the ivory tower. Like Berkeley physics professor Richard Muller, he said that something is sustainable only if it is profitable.
He argued that in considering holistic systems conducive to sustainability, "Markets deliver to future generations more wealth, more health, more environmental quality, than any other system."
Click on the video below to watch the 15-minute interview.
From InsideAcademia.tv:
Key Take-Aways
- 1:09 – Defining “free market environmentalism” (1 min)
- 2:22 – How “arrogance of academics” limits dialog (2 mins)
- 4:40 – Sustainability and “environmental entrepreneurship” (2 mins)
- 6:37 – Politics v. Markets as best suited to look toward future (2 mins)
- 9:49 – Water as historical case study in market conservation (2 mins)
- 11:30 – The role of government regulation (3 mins)
