Hello, my name is Henrik Jönsson.
The other day, green party MEP Karin Svensson Smith delivered a proposal
together with council representative Emma Behringer, to tax car travel for shopping
They are instead suggesting for people to use cargo bikes.
It is easy to envision ten thousand frustrated families soaking in the rain
with their rain coats flying in the November wind on their way from kindergatern pickups to the local supermarket.
I want to use this as a starting point for a discussion on the right of politicians to determine how citizens ought to organize their lives
and what actually constitutes a result oriented envorinmental policy.
Stay tuned!
In the 18th century, enlightenment philosopher Jean-Jaques Rousseau proclaimed
an anti-civilization ideology, today known as the ideal of the "Noble Savage".
Rousseau viewed science and technology as destructive
claiming them to sever main-kind from its natural habitat in nature
The Roussean teaching was also adopted by the luddites
who fought the industrial revolution
that created the prosperity of our modern civilization.
Large parts of the modern green movement are influenced by the ideology of Rousseau.
and defend an ideological conflict between the modern civilization
which is said to constitute a violation of the natural order of things
"I wanted me some of that"
Civilization becomes the enemy.
The abstract, and mythical state of naturalism is viewed as a given norm that humanity is violating.
"Good work, Bob!"
"Yahoo!"
Let us first establish the fact
that human production, resource extraction and waste production
all are processes deserving long-term responsibility.
Modern manufacturing and utilization processes have all also become drastically more effective
than they were just a few decades ago.
For instance, a car from the 1970's release more heavy metals when parked
than what a modern car does when it is on the road.
From a sustainability perspective, the discussion on the environment is therefor dominated by two perspectives:
those who want to make resource consumption more efficient
and those who want to prevent resource extraction altogether, and favor Rousseaus "natural state"
In relation to this, it is important to understand the concept of "alternative cost"
This is a term used by economists to describe different outcomes based on economic decisions.
For instance, the alternative cost of preventing a few thousand airplane flights each year
carries a cost of a few hundred million Swedish crowns in loss of efficiency and production - but releases a little less carbon dioxide.
The alternative cost calculates what these hundreds of millions
could have achieved of deployed in a different part of the economy,
For instance, in sustainability research or in other types of climate-improving policies.
Here is a concrete example:
In 2017, Sweden produced 159 Twh, 98% fossil free electrical power
If we increased energy production by 1% and exported it to Poland
which is chiefly run on coal power, Sweden would help Poland ro reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by 1,4 million tonnes annually.
This is the emission rate as 600,000 cars in a year.
These resources have instead been used to provide electrical bikes to Swedish urban areas
with little or no benefit for the environment.
The alternative cost is massive.
It is a question of priorities.
The Green Youth organization representative Hanna Lindström displayed a flagrant lack of knowledge on Instagram
of both economy and alternative cost
when reviewing an environmental report with the words: "in a hundred years, ALL climate policies are effective"
This transcends naivety
and shows a lack of recognition of economy as a relevant factor for the ideology purporting a return to Rousseau's natural state.
Without economic growth neither manufacturing nor research can maintain development of better resource utilization.
It is is just one theoretical step from forcing competent citizens to ride a bike
to force them into making their own butter and sewing clothes for their children by candle light.
"You may think us Amish are strange and old-fashioned folk"
The Green Party, which today represent around 4% of the Swedish population, and who are ideologically dominated by this regressive nature-philosophy
exert a disproportional influence on government policy.
Their term in power has been characterized by reneged promises to their voters, and by being over-run my the Social Democrats.
When they manage to get their motions into policy, it has mainly been posing symbolic politics.
I have assembled a collection of examples of this.
..and how it is a recurring theme in the Green camp.
You're welcome.
During 2016, Sweden was extremely close to closing down half its power supply
due to the Greens ideological objections to nuclear power. There was no alternative power source in place.
The consequences would have been disastrous
with power outages and energy having to be procured from Russia and Germanic fossil fuel to compensate
The motion was rejected at the last minute and an agreement was made that steered clear of disaster.
Carbon dioxide emissions have increased with the greens in power!
A more aggressive taxation on aviation sounds resolute and is in line with the ideal of the Noble Savage:
...less travelling, fewer meetings and less cultural and economic collaboration as a result.
The new aviation tax has also impacted "green aviation" - which relies on more expensive and more environmentaly friendly fuel.
by taxing it hard along with the rets of the aviation industry.
Increasing numbers of Swedes are now choosing to fly from Denmark and Norway on their long-haul flights, to avoid the expensive new Swedish aviation taxes.
As a southern Swede, we send many thanks to the government for relocating several important international airlines to Danish airport of Kastrup.
However, it remain unclear how the environment is to benefit from extensive connecting flights from Stockholm to Denmark before the lang haul flights.
Ethanol was a few years ago considered the preferred green fuel.
and the Greens drove a hard campaign for making every single gas station in Sweden mandatorily ethanol compliant.
This incredibly costly program forced many smaller gas stations into closure
resulting in both a loss of jobs and availability of places to fill up your car.
Unfortunately politicians have lately decided that ethanol was not such a great alternative after all
...but we can console ourselves ieth the fact that it is now available everywhere.
...and by the fact that the hybrid cars running on both ethanol and gasoline maintain their tax breaks
even though they are now almost exclusively using gas and not ethanol.
Not only are the Greens trying to end carbon neutral nuclear power
they also fought for a heavy tax on solar cells
and by implementing extensive and bureaucratic permit policies forced a profitable hydroelectric plant to close down.
These polices have been extensively criticized by scientists.
The expert group for public economy determine that fossil fuel that affect the atmosphere
are most efficiently counteracted by international measures to replace old coal based power plants in other countries.
...rather than implementing extremely expensive and marginal adjustments of Swedish environmental laws.
Even the state run and independent Financial-Political Council is voicing grave criticism against the environmental policies of the government.
...and state that Sweden as a result is lowering their ambitions in terms of international climate investment.
They state that "It is neither responsible for the state finances nor for the environment"
"to prioritize a reduction of oil usage in Sweden, rather than reducing global coal power usage."
Does this make you anxious?
You're in luck! The Greens have spent tax payers money on
"climate change anxiety therapy"-programs, whose participants are taught mental exercises to reduce their climate-anxiety.
If you wanted to make fun of them, you'd say spending your climate budget on combating climate anxiety
...is the environmental equivalent of consuming your own fecal matter.
But it is all utterly tragic.
It is tragic for the productive economy
which is losing resources in the form of taxation to these self-indulgent futilities
It is tragic for the climate
which is deprived of resources and optimizations
but most of all, it is tragic that the legacy of the Novle Savage
is still causing people unnecessary psychological maladies.
To conclude, it is important to remember that the human faculty which has best served mankind is reason
...the capacity to determine and evaluate what actions produce the most desirable outcome.
A marshmallow-test for adults, if you will
Can you stay focused on the reasonable decision
or will you succumb to what feels right at the moment?
In a liberal, free-market democracy, you can do perfectly well living as a savage.
as long as you buy some land and don't disturb your neighbors.
Regardless of being noble or ignoble.
Do you prefer environmental polcies that are rational and efficient
...rather than posing and symbolic politics with marginal effect?
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Have you been affect by environmental policies?
Please write me a comment, I appreciate all respectful commentary!
If you enjoy my videos please feel free to support me
using Patreon os Swish, there are links for that purpose in the video description.
I am Henrik Jönsson, and I am neither noble or a savage.
Thank you very much for listening.
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