Wednesday, November 8, 2006

It's the political environment…

Environmentalist doctrine rests on a such a chain of increasingly questionable assumptions that it's no wonder the acceptance of each assumption propagates into wildly unintended and counter-productive consequences. For example, start with the assumption that global warming is a problem; proceed to assume that the government can provide a solution; then assume that the political solution's mechanisms won't be distorted beyond recognition by the political interests that lever the government; and, finally, watch what happens. From the Daily Telegraph, via WolfvilleWatch:

Hospitals have lost nearly £6 million since a controversial Government scheme to cut carbon emissions was introduced.

The chaos caused to essential public services by Labour's participation in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme is revealed in a series of emails and documents released under the Freedom of Information Act. They show that hospitals have suffered a net loss of £5.8 million since the beginning of 2005. Campaigners say that this is the equivalent of employing 309 nurses. The documents also show that the Department of Health has attempted to cover up the cost of the scheme under which public services and companies buy carbon credits to offset their emissions.

An investigation started after Michael Gove, the Tory MP for Surrey Heath, tabled a Commons question on the issue and was refused access to the figures. Reporters calling for answers from the Department of Health suggested that £1.3 million a year was being lost by hospitals buying and selling carbon credits.

[…] When it was launched last year, carbon trading was trumpeted as a way to curb the damage big business does to the environment. But the oil company Shell has made £49.9 million selling its unused allocation and BP has made £43.1million, while public bodies are struggling to break even.

[…] Neil O'Brien, the director of Open Europe, said: "Only the EU could have come up with an environmental policy that takes money from the NHS and gives it to big oil companies."

Tomorrow, Mr Gove will raise a Commons point of order accusing the Government of misleading Parliament. He said: "The only conclusion we can draw is that they were so embarrassed by the amount of public money that is going on this scheme that they suppressed the truth.
Hands up if you think the scheme is actually going to do a damned thing about global warming!


basil said...

You fail to see the wisdom here: as the health care system deteriorates more humanbeings will die - and any fool knows it's human life which is destroying our beautiful Earth Mother. Once we have died off, the Earth and its many wonderful creatures will prosper without us: polar bears will wonder half the earth . . .
I trust you know about the arsenic in granola.

Anonymous said...


Why opinine?

"Emissions trading has succeeded in reducing pollution control costs, sometimes dramatically."

It both reduces pollution, and the cost of reducing pollution. Cool.