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And yet we can go outside and safely breathe. Some things are priceless.
by jonknee 11y ago
And yet we can go outside and safely breathe. Some things are priceless.
- mikeash 11y agoI don't see how the two are related. Certainly pollution controls will increase costs a bit, but not have an effect nearly this size.
- jonknee 11y agoWe have clean air (any many other nice things!) because of regulation. China can do things faster, but pays a very high cost in public health and safety. The US could also build things a lot faster/cheaper if we didn't worry about the consequences.
- mikeash 11y agoRegulation isn't a monolithic entity. The regulations that keep our air clean and our structures safe aren't the ones slowing everything down, as far as I can see.
- ubercore 11y agoBut the general concept of controlling externalized risks through regulation is. That's the lesson here, rather than dissecting individual regulations and causes. And the same process that regulates externalities and allows people affected by the decision a voice in the process (in contrast to a more autocratic decision to do something; people and costs kinda be damned) slows things down, sometimes because of over-regulation or dishonest actors. I'm not making any value judgements here, but I think it's important to understand and recognize how when dealing with systems this complex, bad coming with good is inevitable. Both approaches have benefits, both have costs.
- jonknee 11y agoI highly doubt the construction of this building went through rigorous environmental impact studies. Or that the contractors were required to dispose of things properly. Or that the building materials were deemed safe (I hear China is great at making drywall!).
- melling 11y agoThat's not actually true. We still have bad days in some cities. The air quality in the U.S. is better but we still have room for improvement. http://www.gothamgazette.com/index.php/government/5111-while-improving-quiet-crisis-air-quality-persists-new-york-city-asthma-air-pollution http://www.gothamgazette.com/index.php/government/5111-while...