Rio +20 Earth Summit: Green Crony Capitalism
Reason's science correspondent sends his second dispatch from the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.
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Just so.
Tomorrow, I will drop by to see what’s going on at the People’s Summit.
Science Correspondent Ronald Bailey is the author of Liberation Biology (Prometheus).
Editor's Note: We invite comments and request that they be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of Reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment for any reason at any time.
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it is becoming clear that the future that many forum participants want amounts of crony capitalism.
That's all its been from the very beginning. Are you only now figuring this out?
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No kidding. I'm struggling to think of anything the greens want on the anthro-CO2 front that isn't some form of crony capitalism.
Cap and trade? Pure quill crony capitalism.
Sustainable energy? Ditto.
Efficiency mandates? Yep. Even that.
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By feigning ignorance of this, he gets to travel to all these conferences, which of course are always held in luxurious locations
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Two sentences on the jump. Ron has outdone himself.
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Also, Ron, you and this Rio +20 and Agenda 21 nonsense is Another Ultimate Brick Joke.
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The UN never has summits in places like Buffalo.
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Why would they? How does the local climate compare?
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Does anyone remember the carbon trading schemes that were supposed make trillions from buying and selling air ? Well they have not delivered (shockingly), sadly the news of this financial failure has been buried by the world economic problem stories.
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Oops sorry, they are mentioned in this article.
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"The former president of Costa Rica Jose Maria Figueres...kicked off the session by noting that the goal of everyone attending was “getting capital to move in the direction we want it to move.”
Well, at least they're open about it.
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Ron,
Why don't you go back to Rio 1992 and take a look at the predictions that were made then and compare them to reality 20 years later?
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HOT TUB TIME MACHINE!!!!!!!
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Why can't all energy markets work like the free non-crony-capitalist oil and coal markets?
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You really are that fucking stupid.
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Here's the problem with laissez-faire economics. Even if it works in principle, you'll be competing with other countries that subsidize their industries and thus you will be outcompeted. Similarly, oil and coal cronyism is so entrenched and has been for so long, expecting clean energy to suddenly start competing as if there existed a free market in energy is to effectively root for their failure before they are given a chance.
I expect a true libertarian would be against massive government favoritism toward oil and coal in principle, but as libertarianism is basically a Koch-funded enterprise, it's no big shock that the crony capitalist enemies of capitalism you find are overwhelmingly in clean energy.
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Even if it works in principle, you'll be competing with other countries that subsidize their industries and thus you will be outcompeted.
What is so bad about other countries taxing their citizens to make goods cheaper for consumers in this country?
Seems like a good deal to me.
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Even if it works in principle, you'll be competing with other countries that subsidize their industries and thus you will be outcompeted.
In that particular industry, probably, but taking the money to prop up that industry damages other industries, and you've got a market opening.
I expect a true libertarian would be against massive government favoritism toward oil and coal in principle
I find all the wailing about renewable energy subsidies on Reason to be ridiculous, as if things like state monopoly electrical generation and interstate highways arose through distributed Hayekian processes. I don't support the green subsidies, but I do have some perspective on what's actually being subsidized, and how.
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"Similarly, oil and coal cronyism is so entrenched and has been for so long, expecting clean energy to suddenly start competing as if there existed a free market in energy is to effectively root for their failure before they are given a chance."
You are arguing that since government has their greedy fingers "regulating" the oil/gas market for crony crapitalists, that we should do the same for "clean energy."
Economists (and libertarians) would argue that all business profit should be treated equally before the law, and that doing otherwise amounts to playing favorites and engaging in crony capitalism at our expense.
Very little "regulation" of the energy industry is needed other than limiting pollutants provided consumers can choose among producers. Unfortunately most governments prefer to grant monopoly privileges (typically in return for campaign cash), take away our freedom to choose, and ensure a nice return for the utility.
Do you have a reference for "libertarianism is basically a Koch-funded enterprise"? Libertarianism is a political philosophy, not an enterprise. Politicians in power make politics a business, one where they use government force (or the threat of it) to extract money from us. Libertarians want to minimize government to prevent this abuse.
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Tony gets his marching orders from people who think the way Van Jones does. He'll never change.
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BTW, Tony... I've yet to receive a check from anyone named "Koch", so those fuckers need to get on the ball with my back-pay.
Yo.
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Well I've never received a check from George Soros. Yet the Kochs put Soros to shame in terms of political influence--they are probably the most powerful force in the Republican party today.
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Also, worldwide political and science "elites" gather in sexy resort locale essentially for no other purpose than to determine ways to enrich themselves and/or increase their own power, with little or no benefit to "society at large" [read: "others"].
This is my shocked face, and this line was delivered with all the emotion that can be mustered from the combination of Kristen Stewart, Justine Bateman and Steven Wright put together.
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"Unless government support of that sort is forthcoming, then the corporate sector will not finance such projects because “the internal rate of return will not please shareholders,” Dumas explained. "
"All these government regulations and interventions are necessary to boost green development because, as Dumas concluded, “Believe me, banks and corporations will not do anything unless they make money.” "
To paraphrase Roberto Dumbass: "This bullshit isnt profitable because more energy input is required than produced, resulting in a greater CO2 output than current systems and the wasting of vast sums of capital. Therefore we must force people to engage in our schemes using the power of the state. We can keep the bankers happy by bribing them with stolen taxpayer money in place of legitimate profits, at least until that runs out."
I am wondering if anyone there mentioned that there is no actual warming?
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"...the United Nations General Assembly “recognized access to safe drinking water and sanitation as a human right.” In addition, various U.N. agencies have been actively trying to engage business in recognizing and protect human rights, including the right to water and sanitation."
Trying to engage business in recognizing ( providing for free ) positive rights. Again, forcing them using the power of the state is required. Positive rights and crony capitalism?These fuckers are communists straight up.
Good article Bailey. I am saving this one.
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I read an amazing article earlier today also pointing out the bad rep of capitalism...... http://truthalert.net/Top Partisan Misconceptions Haunting Rio+20.htm
He even talks about a green bubble.. http://truthalert.net/Doubling Down on Fascism.htm
I agree with that author though. People on BOTH sides of the debate need to face certain stereotypes. It sucks people are so stuck in their opinions.
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How about all you folks that think my money is somehow YOUR money come try to take it from me in person instead of hiding like school girls behind the armored skirts of Government? C'mon, I dare you, you cowards.
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The homeowners would get the heaters for free, and Standard Bank would get 2.3 million certified emissions reductions (CERs) based on how much less coal-fired electricity homeowners would be using. The plan was to sell the CERs (credits equal to a metric ton of abated carbon dioxide) in the European carbon market as http://www.lunettesporto.com/l.....-3_12.html a way to finance the installation of the solar water heaters. Since the price of carbon has fallen to around €7 per ton, the financing is not looking all that great
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Thanks