1. Cap and Trade will actually increase global carbon emissions in the long run because it will force some companies who cannot afford the high tariff, to move to countries where there is no tariff and where the environmental laws are lax in comparison to our own (i.e. India and China). This alone will further contribute to the destruction of our environment. Greenpeace is even against Cap and Trade, and stated in June 2009 that "it is not science-based and benefits polluters."
2. Politicians here in the states want to enforce Cap and Trade regulations on foreign countries such as China and India, but this is very unrealistic. China has just become an emerging market in the global economy and there is no chance that they will slow that down anytime soon by imposing these laws on their companies. India on the other hand, is an extremely impoverished country with a very low GDP and it would be ridiculous, foolish and unrealistic to believe they will actually enforce Cap and Trade laws on their companies.
3. If by some miracle, China and India agree to follow through on Cap and Trade, Airbus and European car companies will make tons of profit off of this because the European Union has not and will not follow suit. We are not connected to them financially and so they have no reason to ever do so. Coercion of one group of people ultimately just helps another group of people get ahead, at our expense and our environments expense. Experts agree that the only way Cap and Trade will work is if the entire international community embraces it, and this clearly is not the case.
4. Even if the impossible happens and the international community does decide to embrace Cap and Trade, the benefits will be minimal but the destruction it will leave on our economy will be significant. According to the Heritage Foundation, Cap and Trade at its best will only cause a "0.05 degree Celsius reduction in temperature by 2050 but would cost an average 844,000 jobs every year and a loss of $7.4 trillion in GDP through 2035. Click on the graph to the side to see this visually. Want further proof of the destructiveness of Cap and Trade legislation? Take a look at what kind of effect it has had on Spain, where they have an 18% unemployment rate and 2.2 jobs are lost for every "green job" created. Cap and Trade on Spanish businesses has virtually destroyed Spain's economy while having no effect on their environment.
Minimal, if not any, environmental benefits at the expense of our already suffering economy does not sound like a very bright idea to me. What do you think?
What Cap and Trade has done to Spain-PLEASE READ THIS ARTICLE!!!
Greenpeace Opposes Cap and Trade-Article
Obama has screwed up royally during the past 6 months but this really takes the cake. He has proven himself to be a complete idiot in terms of the economy and it now seems like he purposely just wants to see us fail.
ReplyDeleteKevin, while I do acknowledge that the environment has been hurt as a consequence of the industrial revolution, I will also contend that liberals or "progressives" are using the environment as a vehicle to advance their cause of slowly taking the freedoms and rights away from us that were set forth in our constitution, and giving these endowed rights to the government. It's not that progressives are evil, it's just that they believe people are not intelligent and wise enough to self rule and take care of themselves, thus in their view the government, a "larger power" must control and "nanny" people because they think that the common person can not do this himself. Progressives have used the environment as a vehicle for this cause since the early 1900's. But don't be fooled by partisan politics because progressives can come from both parties. There are progressives in the Democratic and Republican party and it is imperative that we are able to see through the party lines that divide us and learn how to spot progressives from both sides. Do not be fooled by the R or D in front of a politician's name. We must think independently and leave the political parties out of it.
ReplyDeleteWhat many people either don't understand or forget is that in a Capitalistic society the consumer holds all the power, not the government and if the consumer wants eco-friendly buildings and products then that's what the consumer will get. We don't need the government to save the environment because the free market will do that for us since that's what the consumer wants right now. Capitalism endows us with the power to choose a life style that will improve the environment without having to surrender our rights away too the government. The power has lied within our hands this whole time, people just don't realize it. But instead of being grateful for Capitalism, the system that gives people this kind of power and freedom, they choose to condemn and ridicule it.