Save the Environment From The Environmentalists
This is Scott Sumner:
1. America is reducing greenhouse gas emissions faster than anywhere else because Bush/Cheney ignored environmentalists and went with the “drill baby drill” strategy.
2. Europe is switching to coal because gas is too expensive. But wait; doesn’t Europe also have lots of shale gas? They do. But they listened to the environmentalists, and have all but banned fracking.
3. But wait; doesn’t Europe have lots of carbon-free nuclear power plants? Yes, but countries like Germany have decide to close them all down, on the recommendation of environmentalists. Other countries are also leaning that way. I can sort of understand Japan, but when was the last time you heard about an earthquake in Germany or Sweden?
The entire post is a gem!
“Let’s ban fracking!”
“Why is fracking bad?”
“I don’t know, but we still need to ban it!”
I read somewhere that government is the number one polluter.
The environmental movement has one answer to energy and free market economy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtMV44yoXZ0
Under a deregulated system the UK had some of the lowest energy costs in Europe. If they want to develop alternative energy, Australia had the right idea. Increase EU taxes on carbon emissions and reinvest the revenues. Encourage free market tech development and let competition pick the winner, because governments are notoriously bad at it.
Some environmentalists want to protect the environment from unnecessary damage so future generations can enjoy it. On the other hand, a few fringe groups of environmentalists want to drastically cut consumption and have everybody live like we’re still in the Stone Age in the name of protecting the environment. Basically, for them the root cause of the environment’s problems is people and consumption. Environmental policy should take into account the view of mainstream Americans — most of which want to protect the environment. But most Americans are not willing to forgo amenities common to modern life (e.g. Most Americans aren’t willing to drive small cars, own only one per household; live in crackerbox, 2-bedroom houses with one bathroom, etc.). Policies should balance the desire for economic growth.
While I don’t have a problem with environmentalists per se, I do have a problem with viewing environmental issues through a very narrow, short-sighted lense. If more environmentalists would take a broader view, they would realize that many of the practices they claim harm the environment (fracking, lead ammunition, etc.) actually do no such thing.