Gabriel Calzada Alvarez
Credentials
- PhD, Economics.1“Dr. Gabriel Calzada,” Zoominfo profile. Last updated 12/1/12.
Background
Gabriel Calzada Alvarez is the founder and president of the Instituto Juan de Mariana, a libertarian think tank based in Spain. He has been an Associate Professor of Economics at King Juan Carlos University in Spain since 2004 and Vice-Director of the scholarly Procesos de Mercado. He has been a Rowley Fellow at the Ludwig von Mises Institute, and is also a Fellow at the Centre for the New Europe.
He frequently appears on television broadcasts and has written for publications including Libertad Digital, the Spanish Herald, Expanses, Mises Daily, The Journal of Libertarian Studies, Procesos de Mercados, La Ilustracion Liberal, and Canarias Liberal.2“RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS: THE ANNUAL LONDON CONFERENCE OF THE LIBERTARIAN ALLIANCE AND THE LIBERTARIAN INTERNATIONAL,” Libertarian.co.uk. Accessed March 3, 2013.
He is author of a controversial study titled “Study of the effects on employment of public aid to renewable energy sources” which made a number of disputed claims regarding green energy and job growth.
Stance on Climate Change
“[S]cientists are still uncertain how much human activity, through Co2 emissions, might be contributing to climate change in comparison to other factors like water vapour or solar activity. There is, however, a scientific consensus on the fact that, even if we froze carbon dioxide emissions as the Kyoto Protocol intended, warming would decrease barely 0.07 degrees centigrade.”3“ZP on Terrorism and Climate Change,” Instituto Juan de Mariana, 2006/11/05.
Key Quotes
“Spain has already attempted to lead the world in a clean energy transformation. But our research shows that Spain’s policies were economically destructive. […] Deliberately pursuing more expensive and less efficient energy in order to create green jobs has been the source of social harm and net job destruction, and many citizens of a nation are hurt when such policies are pursued.”4TESTIMONY BEFORE THE HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE ON ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND GLOBAL WARMING (PDF), September 24, 2009 Washington, DC.
“All the resources that have been taken from other parts of the economy and put into the creation of these jobs or the subsidy of renewable energy, if you look at how many jobs this amount of money created in the rest of the economy, you see that for every job that you have been creating, or subsidizing, you would have created 2.2 jobs in the rest of the economy.”5“Spanish economist Calzada discusses use of subsidies to create ‘green’ jobs,” E&E TV, May 13, 2009
Key Deeds
April 2012
Gabriel Calzada was a keynote speaker at the Atlas Economic Research Foundation’s 2013 “Atlas Experience.”6“The Atlas Experience 2012: Speakers,” The Atlas Network. Accessed March 3, 2013.
June 4, 2010
Calzada discussed Spain’s green job initiatives with the Frontier Center for Public Policy (FCPP). His belief is that “it is incredibly expensive to create a green job” and that green jobs are “”very inefficient.”7Conversations from the Frontier Center for Public Policy (C127), June 4, 2010.
May 2010
Calzada was a speaker at the Heartland Institute‘s fourth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC4) where he gave a speech titled “Green Eggs and Scam: The Myth of Green Jobs.” Video can be viewed below.8“Fourth International Conference on Climate Change, Program,” (PDF) Heartland Institute. Archived January 23, 2018.
DeSmog has done research on the co-sponsors of the conference and found that 19 of the 65 sponsors (including Heartland itself) have received a total of over $40 million in funding since 1985 from ExxonMobil, Koch Industries family foundations or the Scaife family foundations.
June 2009
Calzada was a speaker at the Heartland Institute‘s third International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC3) where he spoke on Panel 2: “Economics” with David Tuerck and Jim Sensenbrenner.9“Third International Conference on Climate Change, Program,” (PDF) Heartland Institute. Archived January 23, 2018.
March 2009
Calzada was a speaker at the Heartland Institute‘s second International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC2) where he gave a speech titled “Spain´s New Economy: Boom and Bust of the Spanish Renewable Miracle.” Video can be viewed below.10“Second International Conference on Climate Change, Program,” (PDF) Heartland Institute. Archived January 23, 2018.
DeSmogBlog researched the funding behind the conference and found that sponsor organizations had collectively received over $47 million from energy companies and right-wing foundations, with 78% of that total coming from the Scaife Family of foundations.
September 2009
Gabriel Calzada was an author of a study (PDF) titled “Study of the effects on employment of public aid to renewable energy sources” claiming that for each green job created in Spain, 2.2 jobs were destroyed as a result. Other authors included University Rey Juan Carlos researchers Raquel Merino Jara and Juan Ramón Rallo Julián and technical consultant José Ignacio García Bielsa. The study bore the letterhead of the University of Rey Juan Carlos where Calzada is Associate Professor, but was co-commissioned by the Instituto Juan de Mariana.
According to the study, “the Spanish/EU-style ‘green jobs’ agenda now being promoted in the U.S. in fact destroys jobs. […] The study’s results demonstrate how such ‘green jobs’ policy clearly hinders Spain’s way out of the current economic crisis, even while U.S. politicians insist that rushing into such a scheme will ease their own emergence from the turmoil.”
Calzada was invited to testify before the House Select Committee on Energy Independence by Republican James Sensenbrenner, where he stated that “Europe’s experience actually suggests that this is precisely the wrong approach.” Gabriel Calzada later appeared on Fox News where both he and Sensenbrenner speak in support of the study. Josh Harkinson.11“Climate Change Deniers Without Borders,” Mother Jones, December 22, 2009. 12PERE RUSIÑOL. “The neoliberal lobby PP Spain in the U.S. boycotts” (Translated from Spanish via Google), Publico.es, July 18, 2009. 13“Calzada on Fox News Green Jobs Special,” YouTube Video uploaded by user ‘energyforamerica,” September 27, 2011.
Calzada’s study was debunked by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which released a report (PDF) in response which came to the following conclusion:
“The analysis by the authors from King Juan Carlos University represents a significant divergence from traditional methodologies used to estimate employment impacts from renewable energy. In fact, the methodology does not reflect an employment impact analysis. Accordingly, the primary conclusion made by the authors – policy support of renewable energy results in net jobs losses – is not supported by their work.”14Eric Lantz and Suzanne Tegen. ”NREL Response to the Report Study of the Effects on Employment of Public Aid to Renewable Energy Sources from King Juan Carlos University (Spain),” (PDF), National Renewable Energy Laboratory, August 2009.
March 21, 2006
Calzada spoke on “Kyoto and the precautionary principle” at the Second Conference on Economic Thought organized by the Catholic University of Avila in collaboration with the Association of Economists of Avila.
November 2005
Calzada spoke on “The Privatization of Defense” at the Annual London Conference of the Libertarian Alliance.15“RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS: THE ANNUAL LONDON CONFERENCE OF THE LIBERTARIAN ALLIANCE AND THE LIBERTARIAN INTERNATIONAL,” Libertarian.co.uk. Accessed March 3, 2013.
2005
Around the time that the Instituto Juan de Mariana (IJM) was founded, Gabriel Calzada organized a seminar arguing against the Kyoto Protocol. The seminar was organized by both IJM and the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) and featured prominent CEI climate change skeptic Christopher Horner.
Affiliations
- Instituto Juan de Mariana — President and Founder (March, 2005).
- King Juan Carlos University — Associate Professor of Economics.
- Ludwig von Mises Institute — Rowley Fellow.
- Centre for the New Europe — Fellow.
Publications
Gabriel Calzada has published a number of articles in economics including the following:
- Gabriel Calzada Álvarez, Raquel Merino Jara, Juan Ramón Rallo Julián, José Ignacio García Bielsa. “Study ofthe effects on employment of public aid to renewable energy sources” (PDF), PROCESOS DE MERCADO. Volumen VII, Número 1, Primavera 2010. ISSN: 1697-6797-13.
- Gabriel Calzada, Cécile Philippe, Xavier Méra. “THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE: A HIGH-RISK PRINCIPLE,” Economic Affairs, Volume 25, Issue 3 (September 2005), pages 60–62.
- Gabriel Calzada Álvarez. “Mises and Rothbard On War Finance,” Market Processes: European Journal of Political Economy, ISSN 1697-6797, N º. 1, 2005 , p. 147-170.
- Gustave de Molinari , Gabriel Calzada Álvarez. “On production safety,” Market Processes: European Journal of Political Economy , ISSN 1697-6797, N º. 1, 2006 , p. 219-236.
Other Resources
- “Gabriel Calzada,” SourceWatch.
- ExxonSecrets Factsheet: Gabriel Calzada.
Resources
- 1“Dr. Gabriel Calzada,” Zoominfo profile. Last updated 12/1/12.
- 2“RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS: THE ANNUAL LONDON CONFERENCE OF THE LIBERTARIAN ALLIANCE AND THE LIBERTARIAN INTERNATIONAL,” Libertarian.co.uk. Accessed March 3, 2013.
- 3“ZP on Terrorism and Climate Change,” Instituto Juan de Mariana, 2006/11/05.
- 4TESTIMONY BEFORE THE HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE ON ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND GLOBAL WARMING (PDF), September 24, 2009 Washington, DC.
- 5“Spanish economist Calzada discusses use of subsidies to create ‘green’ jobs,” E&E TV, May 13, 2009
- 6“The Atlas Experience 2012: Speakers,” The Atlas Network. Accessed March 3, 2013.
- 7
- 8“Fourth International Conference on Climate Change, Program,” (PDF) Heartland Institute. Archived January 23, 2018.
- 9“Third International Conference on Climate Change, Program,” (PDF) Heartland Institute. Archived January 23, 2018.
- 10“Second International Conference on Climate Change, Program,” (PDF) Heartland Institute. Archived January 23, 2018.
- 11“Climate Change Deniers Without Borders,” Mother Jones, December 22, 2009.
- 12PERE RUSIÑOL. “The neoliberal lobby PP Spain in the U.S. boycotts” (Translated from Spanish via Google), Publico.es, July 18, 2009.
- 13“Calzada on Fox News Green Jobs Special,” YouTube Video uploaded by user ‘energyforamerica,” September 27, 2011.
- 14Eric Lantz and Suzanne Tegen. ”NREL Response to the Report Study of the Effects on Employment of Public Aid to Renewable Energy Sources from King Juan Carlos University (Spain),” (PDF), National Renewable Energy Laboratory, August 2009.
- 15“RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS: THE ANNUAL LONDON CONFERENCE OF THE LIBERTARIAN ALLIANCE AND THE LIBERTARIAN INTERNATIONAL,” Libertarian.co.uk. Accessed March 3, 2013.
