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> People whine and whine about responsibility for energy, while everyone chooses the cheapest energy available. This is a feature not a bug I'm not sure I get
by ced 19y ago
> People whine and whine about responsibility for energy, while everyone chooses the cheapest energy available. This is a feature not a bug
I'm not sure I get what you mean. Is it that self-interest leading people to buy the cheapest energy form, environment be damned, is the way to go? What if we find out that the cheapest energy form is polluting just as much (or more) as coal? We can't escape some form of collective responsibility.
- ivankirigin 19y agoAn externality is when a choice has an impact outside those making an exchange that isn't factored into the price. You can't expect people to rationally account for often unknown externalities. Hope that alternatives that are expensive will win out of shear good will is a losing option because it requires everyone to be aware of the externalities of their choices. Regulation to deal with externalities can work, but my faith in the competence of government to do well in regulating energy is close to nil, given past performance. The only solution then is an engineering solution. Make alternatives that people would choose without knowing the externalities. One side benefit is that you don't need the government and rhetoric about "collective responsibility" that too often approaches totalitarianism when enacted.