Robert Whaples asks "do economists agree on anything?" in the Economists' Voice. His answer is Yes. Here are what the surveyed economics think on questions related to environmental economics [my comments in brackets]:
- The typical economist thinks that climate change will not change GDP by the end of the 21st Century [I agree, all the impacts are 200 years away, right?]
- 65% agree with an increase in energy taxes [right on]
- 63% favor more nuclear energy [ditto]
- 54% think that CAFE standards should be increased [ugh]
- "economists lean against drilling for oil in the ANWR by about three to two" [I'm one of the three]
Who are these economists? Whaples says that he surveyed 210 members of the American Economic Association and leaves it at that until the appendix. There we find that 84 replied to the survey. The response rate isn't terrible these days, but you should say up front that the results are based on a sample size of 84 instead of leading readers to believe it is 210.
One more thing: 62% favor marijuana legalization. So, they were probably high (i.e., stoned) when they answered the questions. Try to keep that in mind as you digest this post.
