by Lynn Scarlett and Jane S. Shaw

About the authors: Lynn Scarlett is the executive director of the Reason Public Policy Institute, a conservative think tank. Jane S. Shaw is a senior associate with the Political Economy Research Center (PERC), an organization interested in free-market solutions to environmental problems.

Just as people sometimes litter, businesses sometimes pollute. Just as some people are reckless, some businesses are wasteful. However, over time, the environmental record of business is good.
• Businesses have become cleaner.
• They use fewer materials per unit of production.
• They create the technology that enables consumers and industry to conserve resources, minimize pollution, and enhance their surroundings.

Many of these accomplishments have occurred as a natural consequence of a competitive marketplace. Others have occurred as the result of deliberate efforts to reduce pollution or enhance the environment...