Critics uphold property rights, capitalism, and markets as examples of moral decadence.
This February program, however, pulled together compelling arguments that markets provide institutional arrangements which enable nations to rise out of poverty, and in so doing, enhance and protect the world's environment. Environmentalism is an emotionally charged issues, but the focus on poverty and environment offers a rational balance because it shows that people have to make choices. The choices that lead to a wealthier society also leads to a society that has greater choices. She described how the human condition has been one of continual improvement by showing how we have become more efficient in our resource use, how we are able to produce more output with fewer inputs, and how increasing wealth produces better and cleaner options. Each year since 1997, the Pacific Research Institute has released its environmental index which offers primary, secondary, and composite measures of environmental well-being.