-----Original Message-----
From: Steve <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wednesday, November 04, 1998 2:16 PM
Subject: Re: Perceptions of sustainability
(cut)
>One scheme that has been talked about is the issuing of pollution
>permits that firms could use to trade on some sort of exchange. The
>idea is that those firm's that find retooling economical will do so
>and sell their permits to those that do not. The idea is that the
>cost of polluting would then be tied to production decisions and the
>firm's would produce an amount that would be closer to an efficient
>outcome. This idea is fine in theory, but there are many practical
>difficulties in its implementation. Clearly determining the
>"efficient amount of pollution" is probably not going to be agreed upon.
This idea has also been likened to allowing prisoners to "sell" time off for
good behavior. It does not take into account the specific violation. Should
a non-violent thief be allowed to "sell" his/her time to a murderer? In the
case of pollution credits it would allow violators to extend the period of
violation longer. As long as a company can keep its marginal profit in line,
they will continue to pollute. In theory it would reduce the total
pollution, but that's like saying that the total crime rate is reduced; it
makes little difference to the victim of individual crime and it makes
little difference to those living near the specific polluter.
>
>As for this problem being put forward by Hrdin, the idea of
>externalities has been around longer than he has.
>
This is one of those interesting comments because Hardin's original article
was specifically about externalities. That was the point of what he said and
he never claimed to "invent" the idea, only apply it to environmental
issues.
Steven J. Bissell
http://www.du.edu/~sbissell
http://www.responsivemanagement.com
Our human ecology is that of a rare species of mammal
in a social, omnivorous niche. Our demography is one of
a slow-breeding, large, intelligent primate.
To shatter our population structure, to become abundant
in the way of rodents, not only destroys our ecological
relations with the rest of nature, it sets the stage
for our mass insanity.
Paul Shepard
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