The Annotated Inbox
A number of interesting links, but no more time than to pass them on with perhaps a bit of a comment before they pass into the ether:
- “The Fate of the Earth in the Balance: The Metaphysics of Climate Change,” by Steven F. Hayward, finds the spirit of Martin Heidegger in the work of Al Gore and Jonathan Schell on views of impending cataclysm. (HT: Commons Blog)
- Marketplace commentator David Frum argues that a carbon tax is advantageous, and says his argument is not based on any particular view of climate change. Instead, national security and other concerns dominate, so that “taxes on carbon-based energy help move us toward a future in which the Persian Gulf region reverts to the obscurity it so richly deserves.” I agree that we need to move toward a “post-petroleum economy.”
- A misanthropist’s paradise: “Imagine Earth without people,” expounding the view that the Earth would be better off without us. Sound familiar? Call me “Ishamel.” (HT: Slashdot)
- The “World’s 10 Most Polluted Places.” What do they have in common? They are poor. A clean environment is a costly good.
Comments
#1 2006-10-23 15:15 (Reply)
I think few Christians would argue that we need to be good stewards of God’s creation. Where we butt heads is over how to go about that. Should we let government determine what is good stewardship, or the market? History has shown repeatedly that governments everywhere and at all times have a terrible record or protecting God’s creation. The marketplace does a wonderful job by placing high prices on scarce resources and low prices on abundant ones.