Brian Czech

Supply Shock: The Journey

Writing a book is like going on a journey. You explore the terrain, make discoveries, meet interesting people, and maybe learn new languages. The longer the book-writing, the longer the journey.

Obama’s top priority will intensify environmental and social crises

If I wasn’t fair I’d quote Obama thusly: “Our top priority must be to do everything we can to grow our economy… That has to be our North Star. That has to drive every decision we make in Washington.” Then I could say, “See how obsessed the president is with economic growth?” I won’t, because clearly Obama’s growth agenda is intended to …

Sliding down the slippery slope: A truth too big for Obama

Now, the good news is, we can make meaningful progress on this issue [climate change] while driving strong economic growth.” With that sentence from his State of the Union address, President Obama capitulated to paltry cynicism. Alas, he will not be the president who finally comes clean on the trade-off between economic growth and environmental protection. Obama is now committed to …

Confessions of a Closet Football Fan

If you’re an American or just familiar with the American scene, you know what’s brewing. We’re not talking about the inauguration, sequestration, or Secretary of State nomination. No, something much bigger. We’re into the NFL playoffs and the biggest sporting event in the world is right around the corner: the Super Bowl!

The Outlook for Steady State Economics in 2013

The Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy (CASSE) has been the leading organization in advancing the steady state economy as a policy goal for nearly ten years. Maybe that’s not saying much, because CASSE has been the only organization focused on advancing the steady state economy. But times, they are a-changin’.

Economic Growth: The missing link in environmental journalism

Environmental journalists are like doctors. Doctors run from patient to patient, harried, dealing with symptoms more than causes. They’re too busy dispensing pills to talk about holistic health. It’s an approach that makes money for the health industry but isn’t so great for public health.

Selecting “surrogate species” for conservation: How about an 800-pounder?

How can we keep ignoring the 800-pound gorilla of economic growth? If we really want to conserve wildlife and protect the environment, we'd better do exactly the opposite of what we've done so far with regard to the 800-pound gorilla. We had better acknowledge the critter, explain to the public why it can't be reconciled with biodiversity conservation, and not shrink at the thought of it.

George Will, Doomsday, and the Straw-Man Sighting

A funny thing happened on the way to this column. Right when I was ready to accuse Washington Post columnist George Will of building another straw man to tear apart, one of Will's straw men appeared! It's as if Will himself cued it up, as I'll describe in a bit.

“Steady state economy” — a positive vision in international affairs

Before we think about the steady state economy, let's think for a moment about economic growth. Economic growth still has such positive connotations in domestic politics, especially American politics, that the vast majority of citizens simply assume that whoever can do more for economic growth is the better statesman (man or woman), better Federal Reserve chair, better economic advisor, etc. …

Real dichotomies are not made “false” by soft science or political pandering

It's a good thing, the proliferating discussion about economic growth and environmental protection among ecologists. Such discussion was sorely lacking just ten years ago. Without addressing the subject of economic growth, the ecological professions would be but marginally relevant to society and doomed to extinction. Money is running out for research that appears benign at best and wasteful …