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Coal alone kills a million people a year worldwide. If we take the EPA's value of a statistical life of about $10 million, that's effectively $10 trillion in su
by mikeash 8y ago
Coal alone kills a million people a year worldwide. If we take the EPA's value of a statistical life of about $10 million, that's effectively $10 trillion in subsidies just for coal deaths.
We don't typically consider being allowed to pollute to be a subsidy, but we really should.
- travisoneill1 8y ago$10 million per person fails the sniff test Global GDP per capita: $17,300 Global life expectancy: 72 72 * 17300 = $1,245,600 upper bound
- mikeash 8y agoSure, that’s the “if.” Although even the monetary value of a life is probably more than just the economic contribution.
- briandear 8y agoWhat are migratory birds worth? Are endangered birds worth a bonus? Wind-turbine-related bird deaths approach 57 million per year. https://abcbirds.org/wind-energy-threatens-birds/ https://abcbirds.org/wind-energy-threatens-birds/
- mikeash 8y agoIt’s not like fossil fuel pollution is benign to wildlife. Does it really make sense to call bird deaths from power lines “wind turbine related” just because those power lines serve wind turbines? You’d still need them if you used another source of energy.
- marcoperaza 8y agoHow many people die because of insufficient access to medicine caused in part by lack of infrastructure like reliable power? How many dollars spent on the additional cost of clean power could instead go to things that would improve people’s health, be it health care or something more indirect (like healthier food, better sanitation, or even vacations)? Quantifying all externalities is a questionable endeavor.