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Why would it destroy our economy if carbon use moves elsewhere? Carbon use is not a goal, it's merely the means by which we currently generate most of our energ
by mcv 4y ago
Why would it destroy our economy if carbon use moves elsewhere? Carbon use is not a goal, it's merely the means by which we currently generate most of our energy. If we replace the means by which we generate our energy, we don't need carbon anymore. The fact that others haven't made that transition yet doesn't hurt us. Quite the contrary: the fact that we made that transition will make it easier for them to make the same transition.
And the US definitely needs to be first. The US uses far more carbon per person than any other country; even more than Europe. Developing countries are not remotely in the same order of magnitude.
Having the US and EU transition to cleaner energy will be a massive boon to the world, even if nobody else follows suit. But the US and EU figuring out all the issues of this transition will make it easier for other countries to make that transition too, and it will put more pressure on them to do so.
The US is really not the country that should wait for others to go first here. Take the lead.
- fwungy 4y agoBecause it makes everything cost a lot more money. Your industry is not competitive and it declines. Other countries move ahead and exploit your weakness for their advantage. No one is saying green technologies are bad, they aren't. The question is the scope. If we ask them to do something they're not technologically and economically ready to do they're going to fail.
- mcv 4y agoThat's doom thinking that's just going to lead to doubt and inaction. Green technologies can absolutely become competitive, and in many cases already are. On top of that, there's a lot more to industrial competition than just where your energy comes from. There are a lot of countries with very cheap energy that are not dominating the world in industry. And there are countries with expensive energy that are.