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No, people are not unhappy that energy is cheap, but rather that externalities are not priced in. The result is that activities and goods that seem trivially ch
by jacobolus 5y ago
No, people are not unhappy that energy is cheap, but rather that externalities are not priced in. The result is that activities and goods that seem trivially cheap (so people consume them far in excess of their needs without worrying about the expense) turn out to have disastrous large-scale consequences.
Our economic system has no affordances for making choices based on true costs – only sticker prices. When these are systematically distorted, it causes a huge collective problem.
- thedrbrian 5y agoCan we price in the carbon cost of raising a child to the age of 18? If we’re going after all the fun stuff I don’t want the parents to get away scott free.
- greenonions 5y agoFuture people will likely be carbon negative. Shall I give you my Venmo?
- newt_slowly 5y agoSince you didn't go into detail, I'm going to guess that you are referring to atmospheric CCS being widely deployed in the future. Unfortunately CCS is not and will not be practical. [1] [2] I can explain my critiques in more detail if you clarify exactly what your argument is. [1] https://manuelgarciajr.com/2020/08/09/the-improbability-of-co2-removal-from-the-atmosphere/ https://manuelgarciajr.com/2020/08/09/the-improbability-of-c... [2] Comical, but fact-based take: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSZgoFyuHC8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSZgoFyuHC8
- lostlogin 5y agoIf items had the externalities priced in, the cost of having a child would go up, but only in that outgoings would increase. I suppose you could bill them based on their CO2 and methane output.
- tjader 5y agoWe should price in the externality where it is caused. I don't think raising a child emits any CO2 by itself. If we price in the emissions where they happen it will be priced in for all consumers of the products that cause them.
- phdelightful 5y agoI want a small discount for sequestering carbon in my child's body mass for several decades!
- tshaddox 5y agoThe average adult human contains what, like 30 pounds of carbon? That's very little money according to the carbon offset prices I have seen.
- pzo 5y agoYou have to account for: - all the meat and diary your child is going to consume in those 18 years - all diapers that are going to be produced and disposed. - all methane and CO2 you child produced on an a daily basis for those 18 years (exhaling, digesting/pooping/farting) - concrete used for building this extra room for your child ... just to name a few.
- tjader 5y agoNot if the externality is priced in for each of those products.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- imtringued 5y agoYou can do that but it's not the parents that emit the CO2.