Re: [GreenYes] if you're not driving, who is?

[don hughes <djhughes@mailbox.syr.edu>]

"True cost" accounting is great in theory, but I'm not sure it translates
well into practice.  For example, what economic value do you put on:
- species diversity
- ability to breathe easily
- beautiful landscapes
and all those other impossoble-to-quantify things that come up so often as
environmental issues?  Sure, in many cases it can help to level the playing
field, so to speak, by including  costs associated with health problems
caused by toxic exposure, or cleanup of hazardous wastes, etc.  But i think
there is a danger in relying completly on economics.  THere is a moral &
ethical aspect to environmentalism that transcends dollars and cents.  
Don Hughes

At 10:51 AM 08/01/2001 +0200, Muna Lakhani wrote:
>don hughes wrote:
>> 
>> Hear, Hear!   It seems to me that most people like to
>> recycle becasue it is something THEY can do which is good for the planet.
>> I just wish that attitude would extend to not driving SUVs, conserving
>> electricity, etc.
>
>Hi Don!!
>Not only to support you,. but also to share thoughts I have been having
>about this very issue...
>what do people think about "true cost" accounting, to put a price on
>everything, in terms of it's life cycle impact? simple example could be:
>to produce X energy produces Y tons of CO2 - to buy land and plant
>sufficient trees to take up the CO2 would cost Z - therefore, Z is an
>input cost of that energy, which will cost more by a certain amount -
>this would almost automatically mean that eco-cool products will cost
>less than those with toxic emissions, etc..
>
>thoughts?
>Muna
>
>
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-----------------------------------------------------------
        Don Hughes      Dept. of Chemistry
        315-470-6597    431 Jahn Lab
			SUNY-College of environmental science & forestry
                        SYRACUSE, NY 13210
-----------------------------------------------------------
"I don't believe there's any problem in this country, no matter how tough
it is, that Americans, when they roll up their sleeves, can't completely
ignore."
				- George Carlin


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