Climate Liberalism: Introduction
Abstract
Climate change and other large-scale pollution problems challenge the classical-liberal intellectual tradition, particularly its emphasis on property rights and decentralized authority. While classical-liberal thinkers have explained how competitive markets and property rights encourage efficiency, innovation, and sustainable utilization, less attention has been paid to the more difficult environmental challenges that have come to the fore in the twenty-first century. This book, Climate Liberalism: Perspectives on Liberty Property, and Pollution, seeks to fill this gap by examining the extent to which classical-liberal principles, including an emphasis on property rights, decentralized authority and dynamic markets, can inform policy approaches to large-scale pollution problems, including climate change. The contributors represent multiple academic disciplines and perspectives. Some would consider themselves to be classical liberals, others would not. Chapters consider the role of property rights and common-law legal systems in controlling pollution, the extent to which competitive markets backed by legal rules encourage risk minimization and adaptation, and how to identify the sorts of policy interventions that may help address climate change in ways that are consistent with liberal values. This introduction sets the stage with an overview of classical-liberal approaches to environmental protection, including where such approaches have succeeded and failed, and an explanation of why it is necessary to evaluate the potential for such approaches to inform pollution control policies in general and climate-change policy in particular.
Keywords
Climate change, pollution, classical-liberal intellectual tradition, externalities
Publication Date
2023
Document Type
Article
Publication Information
in CLIMATE LIBERALISM: PERSPECTIVES ON LIBERTY. PROPERTY AND POLLUTION, Palgrave Studies in Classical Liberalism (2023)
Repository Citation
Adler, Jonathan, "Climate Liberalism: Introduction" (2023). Faculty Publications. 2182.
https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/faculty_publications/2182