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So what is the best deterrent for such behavior? Obviously, fines aren't going to work - for someone who is worth billions of dollars, a couple of millions is p
by vijayr 13y ago
So what is the best deterrent for such behavior? Obviously, fines aren't going to work - for someone who is worth billions of dollars, a couple of millions is pocket change. Also, if trees/forests are destroyed, it takes decades to restore them back. It is difficult to quantify the time and effort required, plus the negative effect of losing that ecosystem in the mean time.
- sopooneo 13y agoPenalties that require the offender to restore the area to its previous condition. Screw up a redwood or endangered species? Fix it. Unspeakably expensive? Tough. Get some bids and hire a firm to do it and if it costs half your net worth then oh well. There was a great Planet Money episode about how BP was required to replace pelicans (not pay a per-dead-bird fine) after their gulf coast spill and how market prices eventually emerged for that service. http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2010/07/30/128880374/the-friday-podcast-tallying-up-the-pelican-bill http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2010/07/30/128880374/the-frid...
- w1ntermute 13y agoIn Finland (or maybe Sweden), fines for crimes scale to match the offender's ability to pay. I recall reading that some rich guy had to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a speeding ticket.
- kryptiskt 13y agoThat's Finland. Sweden have fixed fines for traffic violations. For minor crimes, there is "dagsböter" that is scaled by the income of the perpetrator (notionally by 30-150 days' salary, but in actual use the fine is set much lower).