Morosoph’s Recent Comments

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  Daft Idea

  In a frictionless economy, it would make perfect sense, but there are two reasons why this is a bad idea.

  Firstly, fixing the supply of carbon emissions doesn't allow for a cold winter.  Carbon emission needs to be controlled over the long term;  it is not more important to meet an exact yearly target than to avoid deaths through poverty.

  Secondly, each person's individual account makes for a massive deadweight cost, in that it requires each person to be monitored, requiring something like an ID card with heavy centralised monitoring.

  The first issue can be addressed with a more flexible "independent carbon bank" that targets both emissions and revenue, with suitable trade-offs.  The second is better addressed by intervening at points with less granularity, such as further up the supply chain.

  As things stand, the policy is neither sensitive to poverty, nor to our need for some privacy from those who would collate dossiers on our lives.On Personal carbon trading considered in U.K. posted 1 year, 5 months ago 1 Response

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  Earthday Every Week

  Between Sunday and Moonday :o)

  A three day weekend seems just the ticket :p

  Okay, it doesn't solve anything environmental in itself, but it would be a soft, weekly reminder.  The naming of the days of the week seems to originate in (real or metaphorical) heavenly bodies from a time when we didn't realise that the earth itself was such a body.

  Ending the separation between "the earth" and "the heavens" is an important part of environmental thinking IMHO.On It's descended completely into 'small steps' posted 2 years, 7 months ago 37 Responses

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  Evolutionary Model

  A better understanding of economic systems can be had if you model them as evolutionary systems, rather than rational ones.

  By this, I mean that the momentum of large companies is such that little calculation goes on.  Rather, they work analogously to evolution in that the genes (practices) perpetuate themselves, and are naturally selected, rather than being chosen in the normal sense.

  For nature to select means that humans have not selected the behaviour in question.  The behaviour must create failure of some kind (which can only occur after the fact) in order to be selected out.  In any successful company, there will be mechanisms to prune harmful practices prior to company failure, but, in general, they will have done some harm first (in order to be noticed), and will rarely act in advance of that harm.

  There will, naturally be mechanisms for creativity too, but here the aversion of harm prevents the development of products that would harm other lines.  The effect on other companies' lines, and thus the gain in market share will be treated as an unknown quantity, and in any case needs to be implemented as a deliberate override of the "biological" instictive reaction of the firm in question.On What a bunch of whiners posted 2 years, 7 months ago 5 Responses

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  Partisanship

  I am extremely disappointed with the partisanship of the various green groups, and, for that matter, within Muckraker's article.

  The green groups are underestimating the effect of having a Republican enact green legislation, if imperfectly;  they will only harm environmentalism by acting as a wing of the Democrats.  Certainly, their members may feel strongly about issues other than environmentalism, but the creation of two blocks opposed on every issue makes for stupid politics.

  The article represents tradable permits as watering down;  this isn't pro-environment:  it is anti-market.  If those who cut emissions the most are those best placed to do it, a greater environmental gain can be had for the same social cost.  Of course, it's more likely that the same gain would be had for a lower cost, but how, exactly, is that a bad thing?  The idea is to improve the environment, not punish business!On California climate deal could help Schwarzenegger win reelection posted 3 years, 2 months ago 3 Responses