Economists use the term “externality” to mean an unpriced cost or benefit imposed on an uninvolved third party as a result of an economic activity.
Fossil fuel companies sell us energy in the form of chemicals that when combusted provide both a) useful energy and b) various kinds of pollution. We pay for the energy, but the long-term environmental damage caused by the pollution is unpriced, as no one is required to remove it.
Burning coal is the most damaging form of energy generation, with its greenhouse gas emissions, its heavy metals like cadmium, selenium, mercury, and arsenic, and its wide array of radioactive isotopes.
The fossil fuels industry does incur a sizeable cost, however; it’s the huge stack of cash they pay lobbyists to essentially bribe the U.S. congress into refraining from regulating the poisons that go into our atmosphere.
What a completely asinine thing for anyone to say–even Ted Cruz.
It was the expressed will of the people of Texas to remove criminal Republicans. Trump supported Paxton, but he lost by more than 12 points! Abbott lost by more than 7.
Malaria is more popular in Texas now than Trump.
This guy is obviously correct, but some Americans believe that anything that impedes their path towards riches is unacceptable, and that environmental regulations are tantamount to communism.
Weather Guard Lightning Tech
1,000-Turbine Study Reveals Which Parts Fail Most
A 1,000-turbine European reliability study finds pitch systems, controllers and power converters fail most often. Plus why failures climb in year nine and an offshore farm blind to lightning.
The Uptime Wind Energy Podcast is brought to you by Weather Guard Lightning Tech, creators of the StrikeTape Ultra LPS retrofit. Subscribe to Uptime’s Substack newsletter. And check out Rosemary’s “Engineering with Rosie” Youtube channel. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us!
-
Climate Change1 year ago
Guest post: Why China is still building new coal – and when it might stop
-
Greenhouse Gases1 year ago
Guest post: Why China is still building new coal – and when it might stop
-
Greenhouse Gases2 years ago嘉宾来稿：满足中国增长的用电需求 光伏加储能“比新建煤电更实惠”
-
Climate Change2 years ago嘉宾来稿：满足中国增长的用电需求 光伏加储能“比新建煤电更实惠”
-
Renewable Energy1 year agoSending Progressive Philanthropist George Soros to Prison?
-
Greenhouse Gases1 year ago
嘉宾来稿：探究火山喷发如何影响气候预测
-
Climate Change2 years agoAnalysis: China’s CO2 falls 1% in Q2 2024 in first quarterly drop since Covid-19
-
Climate Change1 year ago嘉宾来稿：探究火山喷发如何影响气候预测