In this episode, Cal Beisner takes on a common claim at the heart of modern environmental debates: that capitalism is inherently harmful to the natural world. Engaging directly with leading environmental critiques—especially those of Gus Speth—he examines whether capitalism is truly indifferent to nature or dependent on endless, unsustainable growth.

Drawing on economic reasoning, historical evidence, and a Biblical framework, this episode challenges the assumption that markets and environmental stewardship are at odds. Instead, it explores how responsibility, incentives, and human behavior—not abstract systems—shape environmental outcomes.

This is the first installment in a series addressing some of the most serious criticisms of capitalism. Upcoming episodes will tackle questions of resource depletion, consumerism, and long-term sustainability.

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Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.

In this special episode, producer Liza Claire introduces the Cornwall Alliance podcast’s new name: Sanity Check. After several years as Created to Reign, the show is relaunching with a clearer title and a renewed commitment to thoughtful, rational discussion about the environment, economics, and human flourishing.

What does a “sanity check” mean in science, engineering, and finance—and why is it a fitting name for this podcast? Liza Claire explains the reasoning behind the change, what listeners can expect moving forward, and what remains the same: careful analysis, sound economics, and a perspective grounded in Biblical principles.

Join us as we launch Sanity Check, a podcast dedicated to bringing clarity, reason, and intellectual honesty back to today’s environmental debates.

Visit our podcast resource page: https://cornwallalliance.org/listen%20to%20our%20podcast%20created%20to%20reign/

Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.

Is eating beef really bad for the planet?

Environmental activists often claim cattle are a major driver of climate change, deforestation, water shortages, and biodiversity loss. From methane emissions to land use, the beef industry has become a central target in the modern environmental movement.

But how much of this narrative holds up under scrutiny?

In this episode, David R. Legates examines the scientific claims behind the war on beef—looking at methane emissions, land use, water consumption, and pollution. He also explores what critics often leave out: how livestock fit into natural carbon cycles, how modern agriculture has become far more efficient, and why ruminant animals may play an important role in global food systems.

Along the way, he considers another overlooked dimension: nutrition. Beef remains one of the most nutrient-dense foods available, providing high-quality protein, iron, zinc, and essential vitamins that are difficult to obtain elsewhere.

So is beef really destroying the planet—or has the story been oversimplified?

In this episode, we take a closer look at the science behind the headlines.

https://www.beefresearch.ca/topics/environmental-footprint-of-beef-production/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/beef

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Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.

For more than fifteen years, the EPA’s 2009 Endangerment Finding has been the legal foundation for sweeping federal greenhouse gas regulations—impacting everything from your car to the power grid. But what if the ruling that launched trillions of dollars in climate policy wasn’t the purely scientific document we were told it was?

With repeal now back on the table in 2026, new scrutiny reveals troubling questions about how the original decision was made, who shaped it, and whether politics—not science—drove the process from the start

Was the Endangerment Finding a neutral assessment of climate risk—or a “decision ready to go” before the evidence was fully considered?

In this episode, we unpack what’s really at stake, why this fight isn’t over science alone, and why the potential rollback could mark one of the most consequential regulatory reversals in modern U.S. history.

Is this finally the end of the Endangerment Finding—or just another false alarm?

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2026/02/09/trump-set-to-repeal-landmark-climate-finding-in-major-regulatory-rollback/88600365007/

https://govoversight.org/the-evidence-is-in-endangerment-finding-was-pre-cooked/

https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/tracker/greenhouse-gas-endangerment-finding/

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Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.

With headlines declaring the end of climate extremism and federal withdrawals from global climate bodies making waves, many are celebrating what looks like a turning point. But is it really over?

In this episode, David R. Legates argues that while the federal government may be stepping back, the climate agenda is far from defeated. From sweeping state-level “NetZero” mandates to massive electrification plans, offshore wind expansion, hydrogen schemes, and the redesign of entire communities, the push for decarbonization is accelerating closer to home.

Drawing on personal experiences from the final days of the Soviet Union, Legates offers a sobering reminder: ideologies rarely disappear—they adapt. Climate alarmism, he contends, is no exception.

Before we celebrate victory, we need to ask a harder question: Are we winning the battle, while losing the war?

Visit our podcast resource page: https://cornwallalliance.org/listen%20to%20our%20podcast%20created%20to%20reign/

Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.

Is capitalism wrecking the planet—or is that the biggest environmental myth of our time?

From Naomi Klein in This Changes Everything to Karl Marx in Das Kapital, and even Pope Francis in Laudato Si', influential voices have argued that free markets are fundamentally incompatible with environmental protection. The claim is bold: if you care about the Earth, you must abandon capitalism.

But does history actually support that narrative?

In this episode, Cal Beisner launches a powerful new series examining the real-world environmental records of socialist and capitalist systems—from East Germany and the Soviet Union to Mao’s China. The evidence is sobering, and it raises uncomfortable questions about property rights, poverty, prosperity, and political freedom.

If you’ve ever been told that saving the planet requires rejecting free markets, this series is for you.

Visit our podcast resource page: https://cornwallalliance.org/listen%20to%20our%20podcast%20created%20to%20reign/

Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.

Most people think the electric grid is a giant battery—store power when there’s extra and pull it out when you need it. Simple. And completely wrong.

In this episode, David R. Legates explains how the electric grid actually works: a just-in-time system where electricity must be generated and consumed almost simultaneously. Using clear analogies, he walks through generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption—and shows why reliability depends on energy sources that can be used when needed.

The discussion also explores why wind and solar, which are non-dispatchable, cannot keep the lights on without constant real-time backup, and how rising demand, grid operators like PJM, and policy choices affect reliability and cost.

If you want to understand why blackouts happen, why electricity prices are rising, and why the grid is far more fragile than most people realize, this episode is for you.

Sources:

https://www.caesarrodney.org/post/delaware-s-energy-crossroads-rising-demand-shrinking-reliability

https://16f05e07-790c-4e37-8967-e07503198f80.usrfiles.com/ugd/16f05e_950ecbbff4b54cbc8b9223d8dc890591.pdf

Visit our podcast resource page: https://cornwallalliance.org/listen%20to%20our%20podcast%20created%20to%20reign/

Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.

Migraines are a debilitating neurological condition affecting millions—and no one who has experienced one takes them lightly. In the United Kingdom alone, an estimated 10 million adults suffer from migraines, costing millions of lost workdays each year. So when headlines recently declared that scientists have pinpointed a reason migraines are on the rise, it sounded like an important public-health breakthrough.

But there was a familiar twist.

According to the popular press, the culprit is—of course—climate change. Rising temperatures, turbulent weather patterns, and even anxiety about climate change itself are now being blamed for an alleged migraine “epidemic.” But does the evidence actually support these claims?

In this episode of Created to Reign, David R. Legates takes a closer look at what the studies really say, what they don’t say, and how correlation is being dressed up as causation. From daily and seasonal migraine patterns to the role of stress, diagnosis, and media framing, this episode asks a simple question: are migraines increasing because of climate change—or because climate change has become the go-to explanation for everything?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-15422347/Scientists-pinpoint-reason-people-getting-migraines.html

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/health/article/migraines-climate-change-weather-heat-pressure

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9664747/

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s10194-021-01276-w

Visit our podcast resource page: https://cornwallalliance.org/listen%20to%20our%20podcast%20created%20to%20reign/

Our work is entirely supported by donations from people like you. If you benefit from our work and would like to partner with us, please visit www.cornwallalliance.org/donate.