Jerome Cogburn Taylor (born August 2, 1963) is an American

environmental activist The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement) is a social movement that aims to protect the natural world from harmful environmental practices in order to create sustainable living. In its recognition of humanity a ...

, policy analyst, and game designer. Taylor cofounded the

Niskanen Center The Niskanen Center is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C. that advocates libertarian and market-oriented principles regarding environmentalism, immigration reform, civil liberties, and an effective welfare state. Named after Willi ...

, a

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

–based

think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

that, among other things, advocates for market environmentalism and the adoption of a

carbon tax A carbon tax is a tax levied on the carbon emissions from producing goods and services. Carbon taxes are intended to make visible the hidden Social cost of carbon, social costs of carbon emissions. They are designed to reduce greenhouse gas emis ...

system to combat

global warming Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...

Early life and education

Taylor attended the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

as a

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

major. As a student, Taylor became an editor of the ''Hawkeye Review'', a conservative student newspaper that served as an alternative to the ''

Daily Iowan ''The Daily Iowan'' is an independent, 6,500-circulation student newspaper serving Iowa City and the University of Iowa community. During the 2020–2021 academic year ''The Daily Iowan'' transitioned from printing daily to producing a print ed ...

'', and founded “Students for Traditional American Freedoms”, a conservative activist group.

Career

Before founding the Niskanen Center in 2014, Taylor was a senior fellow at the

Cato Institute The Cato Institute is an American libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Ed Crane, Murray Rothbard, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Koch Industries.Koch ...

, where he previously espoused a skeptical position on environmental issues. Taylor's case is a prominent example of a former climate-change denier who came to embrace policies to address

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

after researching the

scientific consensus Scientific consensus is the generally held judgment, position, and opinion of the majority or the supermajority of scientists in a particular field of study at any particular time. Consensus is achieved through scholarly communication at confer ...

behind man-made global warming. During the 1990s and 2000s Taylor made regular media appearances as a global warming denier, including on

Penn and Teller Penn may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Penn'' (film), 1954 Tamil film starring Vyjayanthimala * ''Penn'' (TV series), a 1991 Tamil mini-series * ''Penn'' (TV series), a 2006 Tamil-language soap opera * '' The Penn'', or ''The Stylus'', ...

's show ''Bullshit'' as well as a special edition of the

John Stossel John Frank Stossel (born March 6, 1947) is an American libertarian television presenter, author, consumer journalist, political activist, and pundit. He is known for his career as a host on ABC News, Fox Business Network, and Reason TV. Stos ...

show devoted to attacking climate science. After being challenged by

Joe Romm Joseph J. Romm (born June 27, 1960) is an American researcher, author, editor, physicist and climate expert, who advocates reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming and increasing energy security through energy efficiency and gr ...

to fact-check sources, Taylor changed his prior beliefs because "the scientific evidence became stronger and stronger over time." On September 6 2021, Taylor resigned from the Niskanen Institute. He had been placed on administrative leave by the Institute a few days earlier after the board became aware of him being charged with domestic violence against his wife. Those charges were subsequently dismissed in court. He is also a

board game A board game is a type of tabletop game that involves small objects () that are placed and moved in particular ways on a specially designed patterned game board, potentially including other components, e.g. dice. The earliest known uses of the ...

designer who has released three

wargames ''WarGames'' is a 1983 American techno-thriller film directed by John Badham, written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes, and starring Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, John Wood and Ally Sheedy. Broderick plays David Lightman, a ...

, '' Hammer of the Scots'', ''Crusader Rex'', and Richard III.

Personal life

Taylor's brother, James Taylor, is president at the

Heartland Institute The Heartland Institute is an American conservative and libertarian 501(c)(3) nonprofit public policy think tank known for its rejection of both the scientific consensus on climate change and the negative health impacts of smoking. Founded ...

which opposes addressing climate change.

References

External links

Gamefest interview with Jerry Taylor
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Jerry 1963 births American climate activists American libertarians American sustainability advocates Board game designers Cato Institute people Living people University of Iowa alumni Wargame designers

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links