To save the planet, let profit-seekers lead the way
The Trump administration has announced plans to roll back regulations on coal-fired power plants, effectively abandoning the Obama-era attempts to do away with coal as a primary resource for power generation.
Critics of Trump’s policies on energy often point out that since he took office, there has been a push to deregulate sectors of the economy that deal with the burning of fossil fuels, and thus, exacerbate the problem of climate change. If Trump’s policies are left unchallenged, we are told, we risk thrusting the United States back into the unenviable position of being the world leader in the destructive creation of pollution that will condemn posterity to deal with the ravages of permanent climate change.
The response by the vast majority of Americans to this dire prediction is a collective yawn rooted in a self-interested perspective on energy usage. That is because no matter how much moral suasion is used to get us to care about some kid who will be around 200 years from now, we really care more about our wallets and personal convenience 200 seconds from now.
Think about it. Every time we hear the phrase, “if we all work together…..” do we end up working together? Not really. We are told to drive cars that are low-emission and environmentally friendly. We ask, “How much will that car cost?” We are told to drive the speed limit to conserve energy, but we are late for work or enjoy speeding.
We nod in agreement that climate change is a terrible thing, then engage in classic free-riding behavior that starts with the premise that while our neighbors fight climate change, we will do what is best for our immediate economic concerns. Our neighbors think the same thing, and we all roll past each other in gas-guzzling SUVs while forgetting to turn off the air-conditioning at home.
The good news is that we don’t really have to work together to accomplish victory over rising global temperatures. That is because profit-driven companies are doing all the work for us. Consider this. Because of rapid advances in technology — driven only by the desire to make more money — we have seen drastic reductions in the price of power created by wind and solar. Natural gas is now cheaper than coal. Therefore, no matter what the president will claim on Twitter, market forces and the drive for greater market share has already led to the expansion of non-coal power and less carbon dioxide emission.
The same is true in innumerable industries. Household appliances use less energy than ever before. Not because Whirlpool wants to save polar bears from shrinking ice, but because Whirlpool wants to cash in on our desire to save money first and then save polar bears as a bonus.
Food is now produced with far less energy than decades ago. Cars continue to roll off the assembly line that generate a fraction of the toxic emissions that we saw in the 1970s.
From phosphate-free detergent to the growth in products produced with recycled materials, we have seen an explosion in environmentally friendly goods and services that all come from the fruits of capitalism, rather than some government program or legislative mandate.
In fact, where we see the government involved in the protection of the environment is where many disasters occur. From the Flint, Mich., water supply to poorly managed government forests that burn in California to accidents that lead to toxic spills, government’s record in protecting the planet is not impressive.
By comparison, the pursuit of money has led to impressive results.
Therefore, even though most of us only care about our immediate needs and our limited financial resources, we can go to sleep knowing that the same system that guarantees the production of food, medicine, housing and everything else we might want or need can be trusted to produce products that will slow climate change over time.