Sanity Check

What does Diet Coke have to do with America’s energy supply? In this episode, Dr. David Legates explores that question through a surprising comparison from James Taylor of the Heartland Institute. Taylor’s Diet Coke analogy exposes the flaw in politicians’ “all-of-the-above” approach to energy: when expensive sources enter the electricity mix, consumers can end up paying more for power while recei...

For nearly two decades, the EPA’s 2009 Endangerment Finding has served as a legal foundation for federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. Its history begins with the Supreme Court’s 2007 decision in Massachusetts v. EPA , continues through the Obama administration’s Endangerment Finding, and extends through the greenhouse gas regulations adopted under subsequent administrations. In February...

What can a devastating Himalayan avalanche teach us about climate change—and about the growing role of artificial intelligence in scientific research? In this episode, Dr. David Legates examines claims that a catastrophic 2026 avalanche in Nepal was caused by human-induced climate change. He explains why individual weather and climate events cannot simply be attributed to climate change and puts t...

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear one of the most consequential climate-related cases in the country this October: Suncor Energy v. County Commissioners of Boulder County . At issue is whether cities and counties can sue oil and gas companies for alleged damages caused by climate change, or whether federal law prevents state courts from hearing these claims. Boulder County and the City of Boul...

Millions of Americans believe that everything from groceries and cars to homes and vacations has become impossibly expensive. But are things actually less affordable than they were in the past, or are we measuring affordability the wrong way? In this episode of Sanity Check , Cal Beisner revisits a question raised during his recent appearance on David Wheaton’s The Christian Worldview : Why are so...

Could rising carbon dioxide levels actually be changing the chemistry of our blood? A new study makes the startling claim that increasing atmospheric CO₂ could eventually make the atmosphere toxic—but does the evidence really support such a dramatic conclusion? In this episode, Dr. David Legates takes a critical look at the study behind the headlines. He examines its analysis of more than two deca...

What does it look like to approach climate, water, economics, and environmental questions from a Biblical perspective? In this episode, Dr. David Legates introduces the Cornwall Alliance’s growing catalog of online courses, designed to equip Christians with the scientific, economic, and theological knowledge needed to engage today’s environmental debates with confidence. Dr. Legates highlights two...

In this episode, Dr. David Legates examines the growing legal battle over “citizen suits” and who has the authority to enforce federal environmental law. The Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Safe Drinking Water Act all gave private citizens and organizations the ability to sue when they believed environmental laws were being violated. For decades, these provisions have allowed environmental gro...

Europe has been warming significantly faster than the global average, and this summer’s heatwaves once again prompted politicians and environmental activists to point to fossil-fuel emissions as the obvious culprit. In this episode, Dr. David Legates examines a new study that suggests there is another important piece of the story: Europe’s remarkable success in reducing air pollution. Since 1980,...

Episode Description El Niño has returned, and forecasters around the world are watching closely. In this episode, Dr. David Legates explains what El Niño is, why the tropical Pacific Ocean is warming, and what scientists expect as the 2026 event continues to develop. He explores how El Niño influences weather patterns around the globe, from rainfall in the southern United States to hurricane activ...

Can humanity turn night into day? In this episode, Dr. David Legates examines Reflect Orbital's ambitious proposal to place mirrors in space that would redirect sunlight onto Earth after sunset. Marketed as a breakthrough for renewable energy, disaster response, agriculture, and industry, the technology has also sparked concerns about light pollution, environmental impacts, space debris, and...

Episode Description What can one of the most influential Christian thinkers of the past half-century teach us about the future of America? In this episode, Dr. E. Calvin Beisner pays tribute to Os Guinness following his receipt of the Wilberforce Award, reflecting on a lifetime of scholarship dedicated to the defense of truth, freedom, and the Christian worldview. Drawing from Guinness's many...

When the United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) was dissolved, many assumed its role in federal climate policy had come to an end. Now the program has returned under new leadership and with a different direction. In this episode of Sanity Check , David Legates draws on his own experience as a former Executive Director of the USGCRP to explain what the agency does, why it matters, an...

In this episode of Created to Reign, Vijay Jayaraj discusses the oil, coal, and natural gas comeback in Latin America. Contrary to what some people say, this is not reneging on "creation care," but a Christian attitude toward earth stewardship and care for the poor.  Visit our podcast resource page: https://cornwallalliance.org/listen%20to%20our%20podcast%20created%20to%20reign/ Our work...

When CNN declared that the July heat wave would have been "virtually impossible" without fossil fuel emissions, it pointed to a rapid-attribution study as proof. But does the evidence support such a sweeping claim? In this episode of Sanity Check , Dr. David Legates examines the meteorology behind the heat wave, explains how attribution studies are conducted, and explores the assumptions...

Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent visit to India highlighted a growing area of agreement between two of the world’s largest democracies: the need for abundant, reliable energy. As India’s economy expands and hundreds of millions continue moving into the middle class, demand for electricity, transportation fuels, and industrial energy is set to rise dramatically in the decades ahead. In this...

In this episode of Sanity Check , David Legates examines a Guardian article claiming that U.S. immigration enforcement flights carry a "huge climate cost." Looking beyond the headline, he compares the reported emissions with total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, aviation emissions, and other major sources to ask whether the article's conclusions are supported by meaningful context. A...

After a string of high-profile climate lawsuits, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has delivered a ruling that supporters of sound energy policy may have reason to celebrate. In this episode of Sanity Check , David Legates examines a lawsuit brought by twenty-three young activists challenging President Trump's executive orders aimed at expanding domestic energy production. The plaintiffs arg...

El Niño may begin as a patch of unusually warm water in the Pacific Ocean, but its effects can be felt across the globe. In this episode of Sanity Check , David R. Legates explores one of the most powerful climate phenomena on Earth and explains why forecasters are closely watching the possibility of a particularly strong El Niño developing in the months ahead. What exactly is El Niño? Why are sci...

This episode of Sanity Check examines a question that sits at the heart of modern scientific culture: Can science remain ethical when divorced from a moral framework? Drawing from a standout presentation delivered at the recent Cornwall Alliance Spring Conference in Memphis, Daniel O’Malley argues that science can tell us what can be done, but not what should be done—and that without Christianity,...

For years, the most extreme climate scenarios shaped headlines, policy debates, and public fear—despite growing evidence that many of those projections were increasingly detached from real-world energy and emissions trends. Now, in a major shift ahead of the IPCC’s Seventh Assessment Report, climate modelers are quietly abandoning some of their most dramatic assumptions.  In this episode of Sanity...

This episode is a bit different from our usual content. We are bringing you a lecture from our inaugural conference, "Heaven and Earth, the Struggle for Faith and Science in the Public Square." If you missed our conference, you're in luck, because we're bringing you a key lecture from our very own Vijay Jayaraj. He dismantles the "green" movement and demonstrates, wit...

In this episode, E. Calvin Beisner takes on three enduring claims about capitalism and the environment: that it depletes resources, imposes unjust costs, and prioritizes the short term at the expense of the future. Drawing on economic theory, historical evidence, and real-world data, he challenges the assumption that growth inevitably leads to scarcity and argues instead that human ingenuity, pric...

The concept of “planetary boundaries” has become one of the most influential frameworks in modern environmental science—shaping global policy, corporate behavior, and public perception. But how solid is it, really?  In this episode of Sanity Check , Dr. David R. Legates examines the origins of the planetary boundaries model and walks through each of its ten proposed limits—from climate change and...

What happens when lawsuits quietly shape public policy—without a full trial, public scrutiny, or legislative debate? In this episode of Sanity Check , David R. Legates unpacks the controversial practice known as “sue-and-settle.” What begins as a seemingly straightforward legal mechanism—citizens holding agencies accountable—can, in practice, become something far more complex. Through negotiated s...