A half century of tremendous population and economic growth in Georgia has resulted in new challenges regarding water quality and quantity, air quality and traffic-related emissions. Utilizing objective facts, a commonsense, market-oriented approach to land-use and environmental policy encourages local action and private initiative to improve environmental conditions and ensure our quality of life for future generations.

Environment

Policies and Politics in the Climate Change Dispute

The remnants of Hurricane Zeta arrived in Georgia Thursday. The Category 2 hurricane, the fifth named storm to slam into Louisiana this year, had lost much of its punch by the time it reached Georgia, but still left almost a million Georgia homes without power.
Environment

Going from Trees-R-Us to Trees-Or-Us

Trees are ubiquitous. Most of us love them; a few hate them. Homeowners can be ambivalent, at least about some trees. Modern cities are fixated on trees.
Environment

The Broken Record of ‘Record’ Highs

Amid fears of global warming and extreme temperatures, tropical storms, air pollution and so on, data suggest record high temperatures are nothing new.
Environment

U.S. Energy Information Administration

The four end-use sectors in the United States—residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation—consume a mix of fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas, and coal), as well as renewable energy sources and electricity, to meet their energy needs.
Environment

Fighting Fire with Fire

Last fall, headlines blared the deadly conflagration in the West that scorched hundreds of thousands of acres and tens of thousands of homes. And, of course, many blamed climate change for what was seen as an increasing trend.
Environment

Climate Change Agreements: Solutions in Search of a Problem

Earth Day arrives again on April 22, and along with it the also-predictable heated rhetoric by climate change alarmists who bolster their claims with articles and opinions and state, “Facts matter,” or, “Science matters.”
Economy, Environment

Hurricane Deals Georgia Agriculture an Unprecedented Blow

Hurricane Michael sustained major, hurricane-force winds as it entered southwest Georgia’s agricultural heartland. It appears the losses to Georgia agriculture alone will exceed $2 billion.
Economy, Environment

Georgia Benefits from Nuclear Plant Expansion

Completion of the nuclear reactor expansion project at Vogtle Electric Generating Plant is still commercially viable, and it will have numerous benefits to the citizens of Georgia and to the nation as a whole.
Environment, Government Accountability

Puerto Rico’s Steady Decline to ‘Puerto Pobre’ Began Long Before Maria

Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricane Maria, but he physical, economic and social destruction caused by Maria followed economic and demographic problems that began long before the hurricane hit.
Environment

Another Summer of Polar Bears and Thin Ice

It's short-sighted to assume polar bears will starve without seals on sea ice if oceanic conditions change.
Environment, Legal System

Foundation Issues Statement on Supreme Court ‘Water Wars’ Ruling

News Release | For Immediate Release June 27, 2018 Contact: Benita Dodd  benitadodd@georgiapolicy.org  (404-256-4050)

Foundation ‘Disappointed’ in Supreme Court Ruling on Water Dispute

Atlanta – Kyle Wingfield, president of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, issued this statement in response to today’s ruling by the U.S.…

Environment

Growing Green Energy Puts Coal and Nuclear Plants in the Red

National energy policymaking doesn’t happen in a vacuum, so it’s important to examine the root causes of problems confronting this administration on the energy front.
Environment

Take a Deep Breath before Blaming Ozone for Asthma

Tougher outdoor air quality standards have done nothing to relieve asthma.
Economy, Education, Environment, Health Care, Taxes and Spending

A Thanksgiving to be Grateful for Leaders with Integrity

By Benita M. Dodd

Tim Huelskamp, speaking at the 2017 Georgia Legislative Policy Forum, told attendees, “I spent six years in Washington and it’s still the same today: The real action, the real opportunities for growth and actually reinvigorating…

Environment

Despite the Hype, Changes in Sea Level Turn on a Dime

Anybody paying attention to 2017’s hurricanes and, even more recently, the Paris Agreement, is aware that political posturing amplifies how complicated and controversial is the science of climate change and, with it, sea level rise.
Environment

Feeding on Problems: From World Hunger to Abundance

By Harold Brown

Harold Brown, Senior Fellow, Georgia Public Policy Foundation

Remember when India was a poster-country for overpopulation and starvation? In just one sign, The New York Times carried more than 100 articles per year from 1965 to 1980…

Environment

Burying Power Lines: A Shocking Cost

The Marietta Daily Journal of September 27, 2017 published a letter to the editor in the midst of recovery from recent hurricanes that downed power lines and prompted calls for utilities to bury the lines. The letter writer raised some…

Environment, Taxes and Spending

On Muni Broadband, Buyer Beware

A year after the Savannah City Council approved a $62,500 contract asking consultants to explore potential demand for a municipal broadband network, the firm finally has released its findings and recommendations.
Environment

An Unhealthy Obsession with Climate Change

By Harold Brown

Harold Brown, Senior Fellow, Georgia Public Policy Foundation

On June 1 came the encouraging news that President Trump has decided the United States will exit the U.N. Paris climate agreement. The agreement imposes huge burdens while producing…

Environment

Global Brightening and Hazy Predictions

By Harold Brown

Global warming, simplified: Burning fossil fuels generates carbon dioxide into the air, trapping energy radiated from the globe. The earth is made warmer because this energy is prevented from escaping into outer space.

But then there are air pollutants…