Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 23 Jul 2021).

The endangerment game -- The precautionary principle : what it does and does the precautionary principle : what it does and doesn't do -- EPA's newfound role in regulating automobile mileage -- "It will bankrupt you" --using environmental regulations to end the mining and use of coal in the United States -- The clean power plan, the rule of law, and EPA's takeover of state and regional electricity systems -- Renewable power and the reliabilty and cost of electricity -- Renewable power subsidies and mandates : harming today's environment and punishing the poor -- Spinning the tort liability roulette wheel -- But is it true? the case for taking a critical look at the economic and physical science underlying estimates of the benefits of GHG emission reduction -- "Born in politics" : the rise of the climate change science production and assessment complex -- Settling science and propagandizing for action : the structure, process, and products of the climate science production complex -- Recent observed climate change in longer term perspective -- Beyond Co2 : causes of regional climate change that the IPCC has ignored -- Projecting future climate from computer models and far distant earth history -- The precautionary social cost of carbon -- Adapt and prosper -- The surprising Sahel -- Selected policy implications.

Most environmental statutes passed since 1970 have endorsed a pragmatic or 'precautionary' principle under which the existence of a significant risk is enough to trigger regulation. At the same time, targets of such regulation have often argued on grounds of inefficiency that the associated costs outweigh any potential benefits. In this work, Jason Johnston unpacks and critiques the legal, economic, and scientific basis for precautionary climate policies pursued in the United States and in doing so sheds light on why the global warming policy debate has become increasingly bitter and disconnected from both climate science and economics. Johnston analyzes the most influential international climate science assessment organizations, the US electric power industry, and land management and renewable energy policies. Bridging sound economics and climate science, this pathbreaking book shows how the United States can efficiently adapt to a changing climate while radically reducing greenhouse gas emissions.