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Fables of the Cuyahoga River Fire, with Jonathan Adler

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The Cuyahoga River on fire. But not when you think.

This Saturday, June 22, marks the 50th anniversary of one of the iconic moments of the modern environmental history—the infamous Cuyahoga River fire in Cleveland. Things were so bad, the legend goes, that rivers were catching fire! But most of what you think you know about that story is incomplete or inaccurate, argues Jonathan H. Adler, the Johan Verheij Professor of Law at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. In a now-famous article, "Fables of the Cuyahoga," Adler explains "the rest of the story," to borrow an old saying. Part of that story is about why subsequent national legislation wasn't always the best or only remedy for environmental problems.

Like most law professors, Jon is an ardent Supreme Court watcher, so we also talk about jurisprudence, the all-important "Chevron Doctrine" that is now subject of many second thoughts and potential revisions, and how a number of common perceptions of the Supreme Court are inaccurate. And since Jon specializes in environmental law, we also spend a few minutes on what else—climate change.

The bumper music was selected to match our topic: "Carbon Monoxide" by Cake, and "Bad Pollution" by the Zucchini Brothers.

Host:
Steve Hayward

Discussion (6)

  • colleenb@colleenb

    Very interesting interview. I don't trust the climate change folk (especially since if its a crisis, act like its a crisis which means no air travel, no AC or heat, walk everywhere, etc) to see reason on this. I wish the Professor luck. Also, isn't scary that he was warned away from a history major all those years ago?

  • Patrick McClure@Patrickb63

    "Put a cap on climate change ..."? So mankind has the ability to bring stasis to a 4.5 billion year old kinetic system? I cannot take seriously anyone who thinks that we can stabilize the climate. We can stop, as we have, putting pollutants into the air. But mankind neither causes nor can stop global warming or cooling. It is a natural process that has swung from warmer to cooler to warmer, ad infinitum. Professor Adler's belief that we can "cap" global warming reduces my respect for his intellect. Not that my opinion will make any difference in his life, just like our efforts to adjust "greenhouse gases" will actually make any difference to the climate.

  • Taras@Taras
    ReplyingtoPatrick McClure

    Patrick McClure (View Comment):

    “Put a cap on climate change …”? So mankind has the ability to bring stasis to a 4.5 billion year old kinetic system? I cannot take seriously anyone who thinks that we can stabilize the climate. We can stop, as we have, putting pollutants into the air. But mankind neither causes nor can stop global warming or cooling. It is a natural process that has swung from warmer to cooler to warmer, ad infinitum. Professor Adler’s belief that we can “cap” global warming reduces my respect for his intellect. Not that my opinion will make any difference in his life, just like our efforts to adjust “greenhouse gases” will actually make any difference to the climate.

    The US trying to influence global warming is rather like the passenger in a car trying to avoid an accident up ahead by leaning, when the car is being driven by China and India.

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