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"Consensus on need, no consensus on action. Why are there problems that a majority find important but aren’t incentivized or paid to work on (e.g. why does it t

"Consensus on need, no consensus on action. Why are there problems that a majority find important but aren’t incentivized or paid to work on (e.g. why does it take so long and so much energy for negative externalities such as climate change to be recognized and regulated)? The tempting default seems to be inaction when there is a consensus on need but no consensus on approach." This is so true, and it's crazy how simple some of these solutions could be. For many things, it's a matter of pricing in negative externalities into the cost of products. Like for example a sugar tax for unhealthy foods or increasing the price of gas by estimating the environmental offset. Naval said it pretty well on: https://nav.al/externalities https://nav.al/externalities

anovikov 6y ago
But these are mandated by governments. In many cases, governments are interested and sometimes whole nations' existence is dependent on climate change NOT being addressed...
sokoloff 6y ago
When the convenience is enjoyed immediately and any negative effects suffered much later, it can be a tough sell to get people to, from their current baseline, sacrifice even further now for a better outcome 20 or 50 years from now. Applies to retirement savings, diet/exercise, climate, and many other things.
kodah 6y ago
> This is so true, and it's crazy how simple some of these solutions could be. Maybe. I worked for a water startup that was the very first company, globally, to make a fully automated and digital water meter to solve the worlds water problems that most people don't even know they had. I worked there as a junior and then came back ten years later to be a Director. I learned a few things: - Most people don't know they have water scarcity, water delivery, or water cleanliness problems. In fact, many people in big cities think their water is the best and are shocked when I tell them about how we deal with lead-based service lines. I have a picture somewhere of one of our meters, which were entirely plastic, looking like it was powder coated from the inside in a pure auburn color. - Big money is often not attracted to municipal projects because the competition is fierce and the audience is limited to a few reviewers. As a Director I was constantly having to produce white papers to counteract misinformation. One that comes top of mind is one of our competitors kept referring to RC4 as a "modern and robust cipher", which was perplexing to me. I found out it's because they used it in their devices and did not have a cryptoengine to be able to make use of modern ciphers. - Many cities didn't want out of the SCADA game. They were unable to accept that new systems, built on the same principals, using modern technologies could replace the millions they had sunk into these solutions. Sunk cost, although a fallacy, is a factor. Interestingly, our most innovative solutions occurred in rural parts of the country, due to a lack of prior investment, which net us bigger wins but smaller publicity. I'll try to add some more if I think of them.
jpttsn 6y ago
I don’t understand this one. TFA requests a way to agree on problems without requiring commitment on solutions? If so, I think that’s terrible. It’s easy to agree that I need to lose weight, but that won’t help get me to the gym. Worse, I could drum up support for some worthwhile cause but neglect to tell supporters that my favorite solution has horrible side-effects.

anovikov 6y ago

But these are mandated by governments. In many cases, governments are interested and sometimes whole nations' existence is dependent on climate change NOT being addressed...

sokoloff 6y ago

When the convenience is enjoyed immediately and any negative effects suffered much later, it can be a tough sell to get people to, from their current baseline, sacrifice even further now for a better outcome 20 or 50 years from now. Applies to retirement savings, diet/exercise, climate, and many other things.

kodah 6y ago

> This is so true, and it's crazy how simple some of these solutions could be. Maybe. I worked for a water startup that was the very first company, globally, to make a fully automated and digital water meter to solve the worlds water problems that most people don't even know they had. I worked there as a junior and then came back ten years later to be a Director. I learned a few things: - Most people don't know they have water scarcity, water delivery, or water cleanliness problems. In fact, many people in big cities think their water is the best and are shocked when I tell them about how we deal with lead-based service lines. I have a picture somewhere of one of our meters, which were entirely plastic, looking like it was powder coated from the inside in a pure auburn color. - Big money is often not attracted to municipal projects because the competition is fierce and the audience is limited to a few reviewers. As a Director I was constantly having to produce white papers to counteract misinformation. One that comes top of mind is one of our competitors kept referring to RC4 as a "modern and robust cipher", which was perplexing to me. I found out it's because they used it in their devices and did not have a cryptoengine to be able to make use of modern ciphers. - Many cities didn't want out of the SCADA game. They were unable to accept that new systems, built on the same principals, using modern technologies could replace the millions they had sunk into these solutions. Sunk cost, although a fallacy, is a factor. Interestingly, our most innovative solutions occurred in rural parts of the country, due to a lack of prior investment, which net us bigger wins but smaller publicity. I'll try to add some more if I think of them.

jpttsn 6y ago

I don’t understand this one. TFA requests a way to agree on problems without requiring commitment on solutions? If so, I think that’s terrible. It’s easy to agree that I need to lose weight, but that won’t help get me to the gym. Worse, I could drum up support for some worthwhile cause but neglect to tell supporters that my favorite solution has horrible side-effects.