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Except that's not what happens. What happens is people line up at the trough of government directed funding and distort the market, often negatively for a long

by cheez 7y ago

Except that's not what happens. What happens is people line up at the trough of government directed funding and distort the market, often negatively for a long period of time. For example, people who are against meat consumption for climate purposes are linked through various entities to companies like BYND. So they begin to work on legislation that will profit BYND. For another example, the solar funding debacle under Obama. Otherwise I have no qualms with what you're saying.

optimiz3 7y ago
> solar funding debacle Sometimes you have to crack a few eggs. What % of startups do you expect to succeed, 100%?
- shkkmo 7y ago
  The issue (as I understand it) was not that any one company failed, but that people lied about or ignored warning signs that failure was imminent for specific companies (edit: and that this may have been done due to conflict of interests). The actual policy issues and implication are hidden behind the partisan wrangling and spin that surrounded this topic. There are legitimate concerns about conflicts on interest for people who have large investments in green companies while also lobbying strongly for particular "green" public policies. The risk is that if we uncritically accept these people at their word, we may end up with policies that do less to protect the environment and climate and more to line the pockets of the advocates. Of course, these issues are endemic to our current political/economic systems and don't just apply to investment in climate friendly companies. I would be much more inclined to trust the motivations of environment advocates with large investments in environmental companies if those investments were purchased and administered through some sort of blind trust to alleviate conflict on interest concerns.
  - pjc50 7y ago
    What about all the coal-funded coal lobbyists?
    - shkkmo 7y ago
      Hence why I called it "endemic".
ocschwar 7y ago
That solar "debacle" was ONE company failing out of over a dozen. The program itself turned a profit for Uncle Sam.
- cheez 7y ago
  Link? Doesn't look like that program accomplished its objectives: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/fredgraph.png?g=lMDT https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/fredgraph.png?g=lMDT

by cheez 7y ago

optimiz3 7y ago

> solar funding debacle Sometimes you have to crack a few eggs. What % of startups do you expect to succeed, 100%?

shkkmo 7y ago
The issue (as I understand it) was not that any one company failed, but that people lied about or ignored warning signs that failure was imminent for specific companies (edit: and that this may have been done due to conflict of interests). The actual policy issues and implication are hidden behind the partisan wrangling and spin that surrounded this topic. There are legitimate concerns about conflicts on interest for people who have large investments in green companies while also lobbying strongly for particular "green" public policies. The risk is that if we uncritically accept these people at their word, we may end up with policies that do less to protect the environment and climate and more to line the pockets of the advocates. Of course, these issues are endemic to our current political/economic systems and don't just apply to investment in climate friendly companies. I would be much more inclined to trust the motivations of environment advocates with large investments in environmental companies if those investments were purchased and administered through some sort of blind trust to alleviate conflict on interest concerns.
- pjc50 7y ago
  What about all the coal-funded coal lobbyists?
  - shkkmo 7y ago
    Hence why I called it "endemic".

ocschwar 7y ago

That solar "debacle" was ONE company failing out of over a dozen. The program itself turned a profit for Uncle Sam.

cheez 7y ago
Link? Doesn't look like that program accomplished its objectives: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/fredgraph.png?g=lMDT https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/fredgraph.png?g=lMDT