I'm starting to rethink my position on the "Carbon Credits Trading" issue
Historically, I've been opposed. because what they have been asking for doesn't seem to serve any real purpose other than to create a cash cow.
But, with a few modifications, i think that the plan can have real promise.
One of the reasons why so much manufacturing has gone off shore is to circumvent environmental regulations that were drafted to protect our earth from the noxious by products resulting from hazardous manufacturing processes.
it's irresponsible for us as a country to on one hand say "you can't poison the earth for the sake of profit" ..while at the same time allowing global operators to simply move their means of production to less environmentally conscious countries where they pollute like crazy.
In a very real sense, the US demand for products made via such avoidance strategies, is directly responsible for the pollution that results therefrom.
To avoid a similar situation to when all german citizens were held responsible for reparations for the holocaust whether they knew what was going on or not, I think that it's time for the USA to say "hey, if you want to sell products on these shores, then your manufacturing processes have to be environmentally responsible, regardless of where you happen to be doing the assembly. Require all imports over a certain annual dollar volume, on a per company basis, to furnish a detailed, and verifiable environmental process statement, attesting to the cleanliness of the means of production.
Any company taking a completely responsible approach and doing everything they can to pollute as little as possible, would be taxed nothing. But for each shortfall, omission, oversight, or intentional workaround, an enviro-tariff would be calculated and added to to product cost. With the proceeds accumulated and spent to create environmentally green jobs, here in this country.
Perhaps we can't force them to clean up their act, but we can make it expensive for them to try and beat the system.
But, with a few modifications, i think that the plan can have real promise.
One of the reasons why so much manufacturing has gone off shore is to circumvent environmental regulations that were drafted to protect our earth from the noxious by products resulting from hazardous manufacturing processes.
it's irresponsible for us as a country to on one hand say "you can't poison the earth for the sake of profit" ..while at the same time allowing global operators to simply move their means of production to less environmentally conscious countries where they pollute like crazy.
In a very real sense, the US demand for products made via such avoidance strategies, is directly responsible for the pollution that results therefrom.
To avoid a similar situation to when all german citizens were held responsible for reparations for the holocaust whether they knew what was going on or not, I think that it's time for the USA to say "hey, if you want to sell products on these shores, then your manufacturing processes have to be environmentally responsible, regardless of where you happen to be doing the assembly. Require all imports over a certain annual dollar volume, on a per company basis, to furnish a detailed, and verifiable environmental process statement, attesting to the cleanliness of the means of production.
Any company taking a completely responsible approach and doing everything they can to pollute as little as possible, would be taxed nothing. But for each shortfall, omission, oversight, or intentional workaround, an enviro-tariff would be calculated and added to to product cost. With the proceeds accumulated and spent to create environmentally green jobs, here in this country.
Perhaps we can't force them to clean up their act, but we can make it expensive for them to try and beat the system.
Comments
Under my plan companies would have four options: Operate in violation and pay the full penalty, operate in compliance and pay no penalty, operate in some combiantion (explained below), or do as they damn well please, but forget about selling to the US market.
Under option 3, I'd be willing to allow some bartering ....for instance if some factory was located near a large thermal well, and got their process steam from hot springs, thus avoiding the need to burn fossil fuels, I'd be inclined to let them apply that eco-credit against other sins, such as not utilizing enviro friendly spray booths in their painting operations (just an example)
Their line seemed to be committed to the belief that emerging economies should be held exempt for a while to give them the opportunity to 'ramp up'. whereas in contrast, since the USA has a mature manufacturing base, they should be required to comply ($$$) FIRST. With China and the rest of the Asian rim to fall into compliance later.
WHAT A CROCK, eh?
The Speaker replied that EVERYONE should have equal interest with compliance since we are all equally at peril from the dangers of not responding adequately. He further pointed out that as the earth heats up,the glaciers in the Himalayas seem to be receding the fastest, and since there is so much agriculture in the region that is solely dependent upon the river water run off from those glaciers to get through their dry season, there is no way that Asian concerns can realistically dodge this bullet.
Interesting, because if what he says is true (and he did seem quite competent) then as the Asian farms dry up, and they come here to compete with us in purchasing food produced here, look at what's going to happen to the cost of keeping a full belly here will become.
And they will not only have our money to buy it with, but will come armed with the staggering debt load we already owe them, possibly willing to barter debt for food.
Either way, this might prove to be the solution we've all been looking for to finally eliminate American obesity...if not start world war III
More of this kind of dialog right here will make more people aware of the situation we are in. I remember having conversations about Al Gore's movie some time ago. There were quite a few people who were pretty sure that it was all about Al Gore trying to get elected the next time. There are still people who just don't believe that there is any global warming or any glaciers melting any more than normal. It just the solar cycle that heats and cools the earth - nothing to worry about.
We've been having smog in cities for a while now. We do have a lot of cars and a lot of exhaust spewing CO2 and other gases that weren't there before Henry Ford. We do also burn a lot of coal, oil, and wood for heat, power, and industry. We're not exactly taking care of the planet. We could do better in this area.
I commend your writing about this subject Knuckle. I am doing research about what agencies are doing what to pay some attention to the problem of corporations just doing whatever it takes to make more money. It doesn't seem to worry them or the Chinese government or the US government about what happens with the Kyoto Summit after we all talk about putting it in place. Hmmm!
But he evidently was there with permission, because he was invited for one of his interviews to one of the 100% english speaking TV stations in some major Chinese City, where they showed him being baited and heckled.
We all need to recycle as a rule. We need to stop the stuff from being put into the air that we can see or smell. Then there's all the stuff we can't detect unless we have calibrated sensors that search in a spectrographic way for all those poisons. What about the oil after changing it in the car? I used to dump it in the ground along with the old antifreeze and transmission fluid. The dump has a place to take all that now because we have regulations. Going to the dump and having to separate all the plastics into PETE, and all the number 2 thru 7 types takes work and awareness. I didn't want to bother. The regulations are making me pay attention to what I'm doing. The High School Art class has an art project (using found objects) to make a sculpture. I've noticed that I've got a lot of old metal, old plexiglass, wire, electric fans, etc. We've created "Propellerhead" out of those materials. It's also made me aware of how much junk I let sit around for that day when I'll take it all to the dump.
I think the regs (out of context) are just another liberal approach at spending our taxpayer money. But, if we just continue wasting materials and polluting our land, we'll eventually be paying in cancer bills.
The manufacturers have another set of rules that they need to be made aware of. I like Knuckle's approach of turning it into the amount of profit that they get to take home.
That would be regulation - by the people or by the government (which represents the people.)
The regs have to be clear and the tests have to be uncorruptable. That's an area that is subject to lobbying and corruption by definition. Who sets the standard of safety? We need agencies that aren't able to be lobbied. We need the members of the agencies to be pure and anti-lobby. This doesn't seem to have made it to the table yet. There's a whole street in Washington D.C. for lobbyist offices - right out in the open. How can we just accept that as being honest and necessary? Maybe the politicians want them there. I wonder if our government has gone so far past this point, that it will just fall like the Roman, Greek, British, Spanish, and all the rest of the empires. An empire lasts for a few centuries. Then, the rich get so powerful that the poor rebel. That's why we have the right to bear arms.
Anyone who doesn't feel the need to comply, are free to peddle their wares elsewhere.
It worked for Madoff.