Comments on: Unshackling Adam Smith’s invisible hand – Carbon Credits http://www.greaterdemocracy.org/archives/567 Sat, 13 Feb 2010 22:20:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: Mairead http://www.greaterdemocracy.org/archives/567/comment-page-1#comment-2624 Mairead Mon, 02 Jul 2007 21:35:03 +0000 http://www.greaterdemocracy.org/archives/567#comment-2624 ooops, that should have been "Jock's impression of Smith". Sorry! ooops, that should have been “Jock’s impression of Smith”. Sorry!

]]> By: Mairead http://www.greaterdemocracy.org/archives/567/comment-page-1#comment-2623 Mairead Mon, 02 Jul 2007 21:33:43 +0000 http://www.greaterdemocracy.org/archives/567#comment-2623 I can confirm the accuracy of your impression of Smith. Most people who wave him like a flag do so apparently without ever having read a word of AIITWON! It's pretty amazing. Also unsettling. But as we know, people will believe lies if repeated often enough. Or if they want to. I'm commenting, though, because I don't think we can afford the carbon-credit idea. I agree with your point about making trade fair, and the unfairness of pollution. But I honestly think we're well past the point where we can pretend we're not yet circling the drain. I honestly don't believe we can afford anything less than a complete shutdown of all but essential (e.g., respiration, irreducible byproducts of energy generation, etc) carbon emission. It'll be less disruptive, in the end, than Lovelock's scenario of species extinction and descent to warlord-tribalism. I can confirm the accuracy of your impression of Smith. Most people who wave him like a flag do so apparently without ever having read a word of AIITWON! It’s pretty amazing. Also unsettling. But as we know, people will believe lies if repeated often enough. Or if they want to.

I’m commenting, though, because I don’t think we can afford the carbon-credit idea. I agree with your point about making trade fair, and the unfairness of pollution. But I honestly think we’re well past the point where we can pretend we’re not yet circling the drain.

I honestly don’t believe we can afford anything less than a complete shutdown of all but essential (e.g., respiration, irreducible byproducts of energy generation, etc) carbon emission. It’ll be less disruptive, in the end, than Lovelock’s scenario of species extinction and descent to warlord-tribalism.

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