“Therefore, we solemnly declare that these United States ought to be free and independent again; that we are absolved from the dictates and bullying of Environmentalist NGOs, their representatives and their funders; and that political obligations to them should be dissolved.”

Many of the colonists’ grievances against King George III resonate today, as tyrannical environmentalists continue to block domestic development of minerals that are critical for our businesses, security, and living standards. To protect our freedoms, we have updated that revered 1776 statement, to highlight and upend the status quo.

A Declaration of Mineral Independence

of and for the People of the United States of America from tyrannical environmentalist organizations,with a goal of full mineral independence by the 250th Anniversary of America’s first Declaration of Independence, July 4, 2026

WE still hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men and Women are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator and protected by our Constitution with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, the Pursuit of Happiness, which require access to the minerals that make modern societies, defense and other technologies, health, and living standards possible.…

During a visit to the [Wall Street Journal] … to discuss climate change with its editorial board in 2012, [George] Shultz had dropped mention of [the founder of Theranos] who he felt certain was going to revolutionize medicine with her technology.

George Shultz, a stalwart of the Republican Party given his posts in the Nixon and Reagan administrations, and his association with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, has been a prominent activist for pricing (taxing) carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a quite Progressive, Democrat notion.

Did Statesman Shultz wake up one morning alarmed about the human influence on global climate? Is he doing this from his own sense of righteousness? Or was he lobbied hard and paid handsomely for his advocacy? This rhetorical question applies also to James A.…

[Editor Note: This reprint of a February 2009 post by Robert Murphy at MasterResource is back in play regarding the self-styled conversion of Jerry Taylor from skeptic to climate alarmist. Taylor, a principal at MasterResource at the time, was well aware of the Martin Weitzman argument (below) but claims he was introduced to and converted by it years later.]

The funny thing about carbon pricing is that even if you take the latest IPCC report as gospel, and even if you assume all of the governments around the world implement a perfectly efficient carbon tax, even so the “efficient” carbon tax ends up being fairly low for a few decades, and then it ramps up as atmospheric concentrations increase.  (See William Nordhaus’s new book treatment of his “DICE” model for an excellent exposition.) …

“Thus, as of today, the United States will cease all implementation of the non-binding Paris Accord and the draconian financial and economic burdens the agreement imposes on our country. This includes ending the implementation of the nationally determined contribution and, very importantly, the Green Climate Fund which is costing the United States a vast fortune.”

“The United States, under the Trump administration, will continue to be the cleanest and most environmentally friendly country on Earth…. We will be environmentally friendly, but we’re not going to put our businesses out of work and we’re not going to lose our jobs.”

On June 1, 2017, President Trump provided what is arguably the greatest political victory for anti-Malthusian, pro-market environmentalism with his decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accord.

Saturday marks the second anniversary of this historic decision.…