Hoover_withTagline_blk

Balancing Risks, Costs, and Realities in Climate Policy

Climate and energy debates are often clouded by alarmism and oversimplified claims.

But what if the full picture is more complex?

In this new ebook from the Hoover Institution, The Factual Context for Climate and Energy Policy, Senior Fellow Steven Koonin offers a grounded, fact-based look at today’s climate policy discussions. He shows how many urgent claims—about catastrophe, timelines, and existential threats—don’t fully align with the best available science or economics.

You’ll learn:

  • What climate models can and cannot reliably tell us
  • How warming since 1900 has coincided with improvements in human well-being
  • Why global policy targets often overlook economic and technological realities

Koonin urges a balanced framework—one that weighs risks and trade-offs, considers costs and collateral impacts, and respects values across nations and generations.

He calls for a smarter path: pursue innovation in low-emissions technologies, invest in adaptation, and improve public communication grounded in science and economics. Not “do nothing”—but do better.

If you’ve felt today’s climate conversation leaves little room for nuance, this essay is the place to start.

Get your free copy by filling out the form below.

Factual Context 3d_eBook

© 2026 by the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University

Privacy Policy