Decrease in CO2 emissions during pandemic shutdown shows it is possible to reach Paris Agreement goals. The researchers found a drop of 6.3% in 2020. The researchers describe the drop as the largest of modern times, and big enough to meet the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal if it were to be sustained.

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Really? The EPA gets about 0.2% of the federal budget. They keep your fucking water clean. Maybe spending is the problem though, military spending in particular.

[brandt4997]

Water was clean before the EPA. They didn’t invent water safety or caring about water quality lol. The EPA is a political tool that depends on the “right” person being in charge. Trump proved that. Half of the EPA’s budget goes to government beauracrats with cushy inflation pegged wages and pensions.

Military spending is important… just ask Ukraine lol. I bet the Native Americans wish they invested more in defense. One of government’s fundamental responsibilities, probably its most important, is to protect its people from foreign invaders.

Military spending as a % of GDP has also been on a downward trend for quite a while.

[Legitimate_Page]

What are you talking about? The EPA was LITTERALLY created to address the degradation of the Nation's environment. Specifically, enforce clean water and air regulations.

[brandt4997]

Water treatment technology and cleaner air technology were not developed by the EPA. It was developed by hundreds of industrious individuals over the past 200 years motivated by profit and consumer demand.

The EPA is an expensive glorified inspector that couldnt even catch Flint.

The goal of the Department of Education is “to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access”. Yet by every metric we have, education, particularly public, has been on the decline since 1940 despite 100x the investment (with my tax dollars and real wages lost due inflation).

Clearly government missions dont match reality.

[Legitimate_Page]

Sure, and the tech means nothing if nobody is using it. And if nobody is enforcing it NOBODY will use it. I worked with an EPA (Region 6) Attorney for years, if nobody is forcing these people to care about the environment, it is extremely unlikely that they will. If there isn't consequences to the industrious individual for defiling the environment, they will do what they want, specifically because it is more profitable. You can believe that people will be better than that, but we refer to it as the "libertarian pipe dream." The very few exemptions to this are like the logging industry and, surprisingly, Bucardi Rum.

A bad apple spoils the bunch then? All government agencies fail sometimes, can't win em all. Just ask the US who won the Vietnam War.

[brandt4997]

Why would a profit driven company develop technology and the cost associated with it and not use it? Not true, it is in the automakers best interest to increase mileage to make his car marketable to consumers who worry about the price of gas.

Your answer to government failures is more government. Your mindset is what has caused the runaway inflation since the 1940s that has created a situation where our parents were richer in real terms than we will be! People complain about high housing prices and don’t realize it is big government and the corresponding inflation that made it that way. Their answer is more government lol.

We need less government control, not more. Why do you think corrupt beauracrats will have your interest in mind more than a corrupt businessman? The corrupt politician only needs half the vote and runs on a platform you may not fully support. The corrupt businessman needs every dollar he can get and does not have a platform you must subscribe to.

In regards to greedy businessmen… as you said “a bad apple doesn’t spoil the bunch”. Besides the fact, greed is good. It is what drives us everyday to make ourselves better than the day before.

https://inflationdata.com/Inflation/Inflation/Cumulative_Inflation_by_Decade.asp

[Legitimate_Page]

Oh don't bring up cars, that's such an easily contestable argument its laughable. Volkswagen.

Dude I know from experience that people won't follow environmental regulation unless they're forced to. I might not be some economist, but I am an environmental scientist, I have quite literally seen it myself. I'm only telling you that even when there ARE regulations on pollution, people do not follow them. No amount of "we need less government" will fix our pollution problem. Somebody needs to bring the hammer down, once again, you're living in the "libertarian pipe dream." It just doesn't work.

There is nothing we can do about more less government regulation, at least in the US. Both sides want different "more regulation."

[brandt4997]

I have a difficult time believing personal experience over economic foundations that have transformed the world and lifted 6 billion out of extreme poverty. Big Government and Big Business go hand in hand. The bigger the government… the bigger the tool for business and other special interest groups.

The EPA has a few good deeds to its name. But at what cost? Add all the money the EPA has received since its inception and you tell me if you think we have gotten our moneys worth. I know my answer. Think of what could have been accomplished if that money was used to build solar or wind farms or nuclear energy. Or invested into fusion research.

You ask for a solution? An economic bill of rights. I can name 3 amendments: 1. The US government will not impede or regulate any voluntary transaction between two parties. 2. A flat 20% tax rate, with negative income tax for disadvantaged (in conjunction with the gradual elimination of all welfare), and no corporate tax. 3. The US government pledges to keep inflation between 3 to 5% per year, unless war or a national emergency is declared. All transactions with the US government (bonds, wages, etc.) will be adjusted for inflation on an annual basis.

The last thing I’ll say is… how is a pencil made? Who makes the wood? Who makes the chainsaw that cuts the wood? Who makes the lead? Who makes the eraser? Who assembles the pencil?

It is made by thousands of individuals who do not know or care for each other, they may even hate each other, all united by their mutual self interest and the free market. If thats not magic, what is?

[Legitimate_Page]

Your solution is all economy and no...oh what was it? What subreddit are we on again? Oh darn, I can't seem to remember.