Denmark’s Marcus Feldthus, with 22,000 followers on social media, some months ago claimed that “Degrowth is breaking into the mainstream” in his post, “Exploring how to align business with the planetary boundaries. Sharing what I learn along the way at Post Growth Guide“. He stated:
… Continue ReadingCovered by: UN, Harvard Business Review, NY Times, Ernst & Young, BBC, and Bloomberg Festival as something to be explored, not ridiculed. Here is a quote from each 👇
Bloomberg Festival: Ted Talk by Gaya Herrington
“Our choice is not whether to keep growing or not. But whether the end of growth is coming by design or disaster. Either we choose limits or have them forced upon us.”
Harvard Business Review: In Defense of Degrowth
“The core of the degrowth argument is the historical fact that economic growth and emissions are inexorably connected (…) To be realistic about the fundamental challenges of growth, we must adjust our cultural assumptions and reconfigure unsustainable business models.”
“Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself.” – Milton Friedman
Even since the Great Texas Blackout of February 2021, I have tried to engage classical liberal scholars with the lost tradition of free market electricity in theory, practice, and public policy. An interesting exchange with economist Steve Postrel on social media some months ago is worth preserving, in this regard.
Postrel is very critical of Lynne Kiesling’s uber-technical optimism with governmental chess pieces (wind, solar, batteries, another story). But he rejects a free market in electricity.
I reproduce the exchange and then offer a critical comment. It began with my reference to my AIER primer: Free Market Electricity.
Postrel to Bradley: I am familiar with the old Primeaux and Demsetz [free market] arguments, but they have little concordance with each other or with the pre-regulation utopia you try to resurrect in your article.…
Continue Reading“Now that the subsidies are gone, are you going to fold your tent, or create a business that is a survivor?” – (Doug Houseman, below)
Electricity expert and solar advocate Doug Houseman (we debate on LinkedIn) recently posted on the new reality for the subsidy-entitled solar industry. He is reacting to the Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill rollback (but not elimination!) of the Inflation Reduction Act, Investment Tax Credit, and Production Tax Credit.
“Today the world changed,” he began. “With the passage of the Mega bill energy assurance went away.”
… Continue ReadingIt was that solar and wind developers and installers had a pretty good idea of what subsidies they would get, the subsidies were untouchable, and stable for decades. A little change here and there, but largely they stayed the same. Even though it made little sense to provide subsidies to rooftop solar, it was very stable too.