Business and the Environment: Is There More to the Story?
Evidence of Good Environmental Stewardship is More Extensive Than Most Economists and Executives Recognize
Jane S. Shaw is a senior fellow
of the Property and
Environment Research Center
(PERC), an institute dedicated
to improving environmental
quality through markets. With a
background in journalism,
Shaw writes on environmental
issues and supervises PERC
publications on topics ranging from protecting fisheries to
improving the management of national parks. Before
joining PERC, Shaw was an associate economics editor
at Business Week, and before that a correspondent for
McGraw-Hill Publications in Washington, D.C. and
Chicago. She serves on the advisory board of Regulation,
a Cato Institute publication, and is immediate past president
of the Association of Private Enterprise Education.
Shaw received her bachelor’s degree from Wellesley
College.
Actions taken to improve the environment are frequently good for profits, but many executives, including economists, are not fully aware of just how good business’s environmental record is. As a result, they often have difficulty responding to critics. This article will present three major points: 1) the environment of the United States is much improved over the past several decades, and business’s pursuit of profits has been an important factor; 2) the public’s information about business and the environment is poor; and 3) this faulty information fosters the impression that business is evading its responsibilities.
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