Cato Institute and global warming
The Cato Institute is a nonprofit organization established in 1977 that promotes individual liberty, limited government, dynamic market capitalism, and peaceful international relations. It is known for its extensive research and publications, including reports and books addressing various public policy issues. Since its inception, Cato has been critical of mainstream scientific consensus on climate change, disputing the urgency of addressing it and the effectiveness of significant financial investments aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The institute has published several works on global warming, including titles that suggest skepticism about the severity and implications of climate change. Although it has recently acknowledged the reality of global warming and human contributions to it, Cato continues to oppose many environmental regulations aimed at mitigating its effects. With a history of engaging in public debates about climate science and policy, the Cato Institute remains a notable voice in discussions around global warming, often reflecting libertarian perspectives on government intervention and market dynamics.
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Cato Institute and global warming
DATE: Established 1977
Mission
Classified as a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)3 educational foundation, the Cato Institute deploys an extensive program of reports, books, press releases, and speeches. Since at least 1977, Cato has disputed the scientific evidence of climate change and its human causes, the urgency of taking action, and the efficacy of large expenditures to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The Cato Institute was cofounded by Edward H. Crane, a libertarian, and Charles Koch, the chief executive officer of Koch Enterprises, a vast, privately held company engaged in oil refining, forest production, and commodities trading, among other ventures. Cato’s stated purpose is to broaden public policy debate by advocating for individual liberty, limited government, dynamic market capitalism, and peaceful relations among nations. An annual study of mainstream media citations of public policy think tanks conducted by Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR) ranked Cato ninth in 2006, with 1,265 citations.
Significance for Climate Change
The Cato Institute employs around 100 full-time employees, along with dozens of adjunct scholars and fellows. Cato has released several books and reports on global warming, including Climate of Fear: Why We Shouldn’t Worry about Global Warming (1998), issued shortly after the was adopted; The Improving State of the World: Why We’re Living Longer, Healthier, More Comfortable Lives on a Cleaner Planet (2007); Climate Coup: Global Warming's Invasion of Our Government and Our Lives (2011); and Lukewarming: The New Climate Science That Changes Everything (2016), among other titles.
Until he left the organization in 2019, Patrick J. Michaels was Cato’s senior fellow in environmental studies and their most visible and prolific spokesperson on global warming. The institute’s 2004 annual report states that Michaels’s book Meltdown “formed the scientific basis” for Michael Crichton’s 2004 best-selling mystery thriller, State of Fear. Michaels was a keynote speaker at the 2008 International Conference on Climate Change, giving a lecture entitled “Global Warming: Truth or Swindle” that was attended by around five hundred global warming skeptics. A Cato scholar, Jonathan Adler, wrote an amicus brief for the Supreme Court case Massachusetts v. EPA (2007) in late 2006, arguing on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during the administration of President George W. Bush that the (1963-1990) do not grant the agency the authority to regulate vehicular emissions of greenhouse gases. By the 2020s, the Cato Institute acknowledged that global warming was factual and that human activity was a primary contributor to it. However, they continued to advocate against many environmental regulations.
Bibliography
"Cato Institute." InfluenceWatch, www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/cato-institute/. Accessed 20 Dec. 2024.
Danner, Carl R. "Commandeering Theory." Cato Institute, 2024, www.cato.org/regulation/winter-2024-2025/commandeering-theory. Accessed 20 Dec. 2024.
"Global Warming." Cato Institute, www.cato.org/global-warming. Accessed 20 Dec. 2024.
North, Gary. "Think Tanks and Liberty." Mises Institute, 27 Apr. 2012, mises.org/library/think-tanks-and-liberty. Accessed 20 Dec. 2024.