As the article mentions, the early computer industry was a product of the US military, so it was (indirectly) subsidised. Many Western countries offer free (or

As the article mentions, the early computer industry was a product of the US military, so it was (indirectly) subsidised. Many Western countries offer free (or heavily subsidised) tertiary education, for exactly the reason you mention. I think a key point here is that a subsidy might increase the speed of adoption; the climate change argument (which I think relatively weak in this instance) is one reason to speed up adoption.