10-05-2009, 07:21 AM
Quote:Here is where the principles of 'free market' might actually work better as more socialist approaches (which I usually prefer).
Zenda,
this subject for me is a clear instance in which free market economy and also Kandrathe's libertarian solutions won't work. The subject of collective problems and collective solutions is for me a reason not to fully embrace the free market economy.
People are A not smart enough, and B to selfish to really change something as an unorganized group.
It required a trendy movie from Al Gore to make people think about climate change.....20 years after the CO2/extra heating connection was found 95 % true......we have been watsing 20 years to go from a 95% certainty to a 99% certainty....and in that time oru energy use has skyrocketed.....the sale of SUVs in europe to people that only use there car in town or in the highway has increased 100 fold.
Now it needed a big crisis and a lot of bankrupt companies to finally start making some progress in the commercialization of hybrid and electrical cars......if GM, Ford, Toyota etc. cpould still make loads of money on SUVs we still wouldn't have seen any change.
The problem is the invisibility of the problem and the invisibiltiy of the use of protecting the environment.
If every time when you went on holiday to a beach on the other end of the world you would see dying panda's and deadly ill babies people would cut back on flying. With the CO2/heating, you don't get to see the results of behaving responsibly.....maybe after 20 years you see (hopefully nothing) something. Mix that with people claiming that the climate issue is all a hoax, and it is very easy for people not to do anything.
I consider myself a responsible person in this sense but I also now that I could probably cut my energy use down 30 % without major problems. What would you think people that think gloabl warming doesn't exist or people that don't care would do?
We need rules for consumers and for industry to make sure everybody does his share.