Poll Results on Cap and Trade
I thought people might be interested in the results of our poll of readers on cap-and-trade:
California has just adopted a cap and trade system. All things considered, do you think that cap and trade is the best strategy for controlling greenhouse gases?
No, a carbon tax would be better. 56%
Yes, cap and trade is the best approach.20%
No, regulations of individual sources would be better. 13%
Other 6%
No, it would be better to invest in developing new technologies but not make any effort currently to limit emissions. 5%
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About Dan
Dan Farber has written and taught on environmental and constitutional law as well as about contracts, jurisprudence and legislation. Currently at Berkeley Law, he has al…
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Cap & Trade is merely a political ploy that will probably net a big, fat negative as far as containing pollution. A long-term plan and policy for containment and lowering of pollutants is long past due. But as long as policy is driven by campaign donations, such actions are improbable. Oil spills will continue to foul marine life until there is nothing left alive in our seas, rampant mining runoff will continue to foul our water supply, and haphazard policing of our food supply will allow diseases, cancer-causing growth hormones and pesticides to infect our meat and vegetables. The air we breathe will continue to be fouled by cutting emission standards. The short term profit may be terrific, but sick people and dead people don’t buy very much. Planning for the future doesn’t seem to be our greatest strength – especially when our leaders think the future is simply the next quarter. It’s been a long, long time since we’ve had a true patriotic statesman in charge. Not since Eisenhower or Truman. The rest have been either cheerleaders or dupes — or both.
Cap & Trade is merely a political ploy that will probably net a big, fat negative as far as containing pollution. A long-term plan and policy for containment and lowering of pollutants is long past due. But as long as policy is driven by campaign donations, such actions are improbable. Oil spills will continue to foul marine life until there is nothing left alive in our seas, rampant mining runoff will continue to foul our water supply, and haphazard policing of our food supply will allow diseases, cancer-causing growth hormones and pesticides to infect our meat and vegetables. The air we breathe will continue to be fouled by cutting emission standards. The short term profit may be terrific, but sick people and dead people don’t buy very much. Planning for the future doesn’t seem to be our greatest strength – especially when our leaders think the future is simply the next quarter. It’s been a long, long time since we’ve had a true patriotic statesman in charge. Not since Eisenhower or Truman. The rest have been either cheerleaders or dupes — or both.