“In any crass political calculation, drilling for oil will always win more votes than putting a price on carbon. But if I recall what I was taught in fifth-grade American government class, we elect presidents to do more than crass political calculations.”
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But Big Oil and Big Coal have always been as skilled at propaganda as they are at mining and drilling. Like the tobacco industry before them, their success depends on keeping Americans stupid.
Climate change is a global issue - from the point of view of the Earth's climate, a molecule of CO2 emitted in Bejing is the same as a molecule emitted in Sydney.
The biggest tab the public picks up for fossil fuels has to do with what economists call 'external costs, ' like the health effects of air and water pollution.
When it comes to energy, cost isn't everything - but it's a lot. Everybody wants cheap power.
