National Interest
One of the things that led me to becoem an implacable foe of the EU was the realisation that even when they do something with the best of interests at heart, the results are usually completely unrelated to the aims. The reason for this is usually the competing national interests of the members. Take Climate Change
When European Union officials created a market for trading pollution credits, they boasted that it was a "cost-conscious way" to save the planet from global warming.Whatever you think of Global Warming, theoretically they were right in making this statement. A pollution trading scheme, automatically cuts pollutions where the cost of doing so is least.
However, they managed to screw it up.
The mistake came when the European Commission allowed the EU's 25 governments to provide too many permits
Basically, if a national government provides too many permits, its local companies can make money by selling those to foreigner companies. So it becomes a way for governments to create exports with the flick of a pen.
The worst of this is that the incompetence that led to this situation, then allows extremist greens to attack the whole concept of emissions trading as somehow immoral.
So even when the EU chooses the best option available to it, they still make a mess of it.
2 comments:
"Basically, if a national government provides too many permits, its local companies can make money by selling those to foreigner companies. "
This is why Russia signed up for Kyoto. Their economy shrank massively in the 90's which brought their CO2 emmisions well below their targets under Kyoto. By the way, how is the UK doing on your emmissions?
Why are Governments concerned with carbon credits exchanges and tonnes of carbon dioxide limits and kyoto principles?
Why do they constantly pick on car drivers as the root of all evil?
Why aren't all the major powers at be protecting, promoting, funding, and replanting woods, forests, rain forests?
Why haven't hard wood sales been banned?
Why hasn't the world bank helped South American, African and Asian countries in protecting their rain forests?
Don't get me wrong I am not a tree hugging hippy who wouldn't hurt a rabbit (I like to eat them). I just think the policies are all smokescreens to appease the public and drive more revenue through the treasuries.
This Government for example promotes the Kyoto agreement, pushes the Carbon Trust on to all businesses (not a bad thing) and then plans to conrete over huge sections of the countryside and allows farming to decline.
Yet another case of watch my left hand while my right hand nicks your wallet!
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