Like an economy, fields of scientific research undergo periods of boom and bust. The boom in climate science is driven by a confluence of factors: scientific uncertainty, political opportunism, ideological predispositions, a sustained push from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and massive funding from various government entities.

William N. Butos is a Professor of Economics at Trinity College.
Thomas J. McQuade is a visiting scholar in the Department of Economics at New York University.
Climate ChangeEnergy and the EnvironmentPollutionRegulationScience and Public Policy
Other Independent Review articles by William N. Butos
Spring 2020 The Keynes Perplex
Fall 2011 The Doomsday Lobby: Hype and Panic from Sputniks, Martians, and Marauding Meteors
Fall 2006 Government and Science: A Dangerous Liaison?
Other Independent Review articles by Thomas J. McQuade
Fall 2006 Government and Science: A Dangerous Liaison?