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jack3566McCain’s “Free Market” Solution to Global Warming
John McCain wants to use “free market” principles to solve global warming. The article rambles on with excerpts of McCain’s speech that calls for nothing more than more government regulation of the market–not “free market” solutions. The problem here is a failure of understanding why pollution is even in the air. Industries pollute–there is no way around it. The market can solve pollution, but not by striving for the premise of “cleaner air”. The environment is not the end to achieve. The end is protection of property rights.
If property rights were respected by governments, then pollution would not run rampant. People would sue for company A infringing on person B’s property by the pollution. Instead, we allow pollution to occur and then try to “save the environment”. This only leads to regulation that doesn’t need to be in place, government controlling the businesses, etc. etc.. A government mandate on “you can only pollute so much” is not the same as saying “if you hurt person B’s property, you will have to compensate them and if you don’t stop, you will just have to cease operations. Their property must be protected.” People refuse to adhere to principles of property rights and instead focus on the environment–which they should not do.
Filed under: Economics, Election 2008, John McCain, Politics, Science
Thank you for posting this! We have been so indoctrinated into the collectivist call of environmentalism that any mention of property rights is immediately thought of as some sort of protection of the “monied class”. Forget those folks in Appalachia whose property has been owned by generations even if they are poor by US standards. People stare in disbelief when I tell them that most of the anti-pollution progress has been made in civil court with the use of property laws NOT by the EPA. After all of the continued failures of the nanny-state do people still believe that “the right people” just need to take power to control the economic forces. These are usually people who have NO IDEA how our currency works or how trade works. More state power means more corrupt uses of that power. If these people really have it in for the rich, why do they want to strengthen the state which is so easily purchased for abuses by same? Probably because we have not known high levels of liberty and freedom for so long they are ancient and foreign concepts to our citizens.
I hadn’t actually thought about this in a property-rights perspective before. I think it’s quite clever, and is certainly something that people can get behind and would very gladly do something about. “Protecting the environment” isn’t nearly as personal as protecting one’s property.
Good idea for US only concerns, but it doesn’t address what China(or any other nation) may do to the air that we breathe.
In order to fix that, tariffs are the answer. If the product is produced in a non polluting factory, no tariffs. If it is produced in a polluting factory, tariffs or no business altogether. You would still need governmental involvement to get results in that example. The empowered, educated and proactive consumers rarely accomplish much of anything.
Here is a real world example of how the “property rights” approach does not work:
A company built a factory on a lot next to a house. As a shortcut to save money, the engineers put the toxic gas vent out the side of the building. This pointed it straight at the house. The quantity of gas was such that the whole house was enveloped 24 hr a day in a carcinogenic gas.
The homeowner requested the company to do something about it. They refused.
He attempted to sue, but could not because he could not demonstrate damage - he did not yet have cancer.
He was saved by emissions regulations, passed after testimony about this absurdly callous situation in state senate and house committee hearings.
I discovered this when my employer was hired to design measures bring the plant into compliance.
“Free market” companies will kill people through neglect of basic human principles. I used to read the MSHA Fatalgrams about mining accidents. It was astonishing how many companies will refuse to take simple and obvious steps to protect their employees and the public. Regulation is the police force that is the ONLY WAY to keep such criminals in line.
We had the “free market” for a couple of million years. It didn’t work so well. Thats why we now have regulators and policemen.