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The Forum > Article Comments > Vested interests shaping government policy > Comments

Vested interests shaping government policy : Comments

By Simon Roz, published 24/4/2008

Climate change: focusing on economics alone is to suggest that the market can sort it all out. But clearly it hasn't, can't and won't.

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Next “Col, what crap.. . . If you don't like the opinion expressed, fine, but leaved the ad hominen stupidities under the bed.”

The Next hypocrite on the block.

Calling my view “crap” and then suggesting leaving ad hominines under the bed is rank hypocrisy.

Speak to me properly and I will answer your childish concerns. Speak to me like that and you can expect the worst.

I stand by what I said, the environmental movements, whilst they may have the support of many well meaning folk, have been infiltrated by Trotskyites and fellow travelers whose sole goal is the collapse of democratic capitalism, their irrational reason escapes me, other than they see is it as a easier course than true work, just like other thieves and burgulars.

Simple example http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_environmentalism

JonJ “Sorry and all that, but the big bad capitalist machine is still the most effective way to promote everyone's long-term health and happiness, because it relies on enlightened self-interest, not ideological axioms.”

Nicely put Jon

And Chris Schoneveld, agree
Posted by Col Rouge, Monday, 28 April 2008 12:43:20 PM
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Free markets allocate resources efficiently. A farmer's market with many stall holders selling food to many buyers will distribute food in an economically efficient manner. A farmer's market works because most of the information needed to make a purchase is available in the price. The externalities such as the quality of the produce can be seen, the buyers come back week after week and so learn which farmers can be trusted etc.

Free markets fall down when all the conditions of the farmers market are not present - and that is most markets. The energy market fails because the price does not reflect the externalities such as increased greenhouse gas emissions and unknown scarcity cost - the peak oil phenomena. Trying to overcome these problems by making the price reflect these factors is doomed to failure because the cost of externalities cannot be known. Attempts to make price reflect externalities through emissions permits or allocations will not work.

What will work is to look to another market to solve the problem. That market is the market in infrastructure to produce green energy and save energy. This market already exists. The products in the market are insulation, solar oriented houses, solar thermal power plants, geothermal power plants, solar cells, forests, increasing soil carbon, etc.

The trick is to divert resources to the infrastructure market. Assuming that the extra money needed to purchase goods in the infrastructure market will come from the increase in prices from taxes or from sale of permits or from carbon credits will naturally flow to the infrastructure market is demonstrably incorrect and does not happen when it is tried in other areas.

One way is to create money that can only be spent in the infrastructure market. This can come from anywhere and it can be given to any group of buyers. It WILL increase investment in sustainability infrastructure and it WILL produce energy for half the cost of fossil fuel burning energy. It can be implemented tomorrow and it is guaranteed to work efficiently. See http://rewards.edentiti.com and http://cscoxk.wordpress.com/2008/04/09/a-market-approach-to-reducing-global-emissions/
Posted by Fickle Pickle, Tuesday, 29 April 2008 2:59:48 AM
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