Breaking Wind: The Cost of Clean

Breaking wind responsibly

Do you care for the fate of the environment? Do you love the Earth? Well, how much would you pay to save her?

Most people have no clue about the exact nature of the climate crisis. The details are too boring. It is enough for them that supporting ‘the environment’  feels good, is cool, and doesn’t cost them too much.

They’re content with the frisson of delight they get from sorting their trash into the proper green bins, and the virtuous thrill of refusing a plastic bag at the supermarket checkout.

When it comes to shelling out real cash to save the planet however, people are not quite so enthusiastic. It’s the reasoning behind why many people don’t vote: how are you sure your little effort will make a difference? And besides, it’s no fun saving the planet if no-one can see you doing it. You can’t boast to your neighbours about your higher heating bills, for instance.

Which is precisely what you will get if the UK government has its way. Demand and price should determine which technology wins out. But our omniscient leaders have decided that it is to be wind, and so be it. And the cost of ramping up investment in windmills will mean customers pay over £200 more annually for energy. It’s easy to make policy other people pay for.

In America, where people are less tolerant of politicians telling them what to do, President Obama is having to water down his own sanctimonious energy bill. Apparently, even Democratic voters would rather sort their trash than pay higher bills.