Q= Some Environmental Activist oppose the emissions trading because they view it as giving polluters "a license to pollute." What is does emissions trading mean? How do you feel about emissions trading as a means of reducing air pollution? (1paragraph)
Would you favor command-and-control regulation or market-based permit trading? (1paragraph)
What advantages and disadvantages do you see in each? (1 paragraph)
A= Emissions trading deals with the concept of controlling pollution through offers of economic enticements for reducing emissions. This particular type of "trading" I do not consider as adequate for reducing air pollution. In a perfect world, all companies would be concerned with the effects they pose on the environment. However, we do not live in a perfect world, and therefore that idea is naive and purely unrealistic. Attempting to achieve "green" standards by basically buying off excess emissions is an unacceptable way to reduce air pollution. What are these companies really doing besides buying off their excess wastes and charging the consumer for their trading?
I would favor market-based permit trading because I do not support the idea of using the government to control companies in attempts to reduce waste. Even though a "command-and-control" approach to these regulations may present quicker results for waste disposal, this type of regulation does not necessarily reduce the amount of waste that is produced. Market-based permit trading can support a sort of balance between companies through the buying and selling of emissions that would otherwise be taken care of by the government. Smaller companies with smaller emissions benefit from larger companies who exceed their quotas.
There are, of course, both advantages and disadvantages to both types of regulation. While a command-and-control approach can get the job done faster, smaller companies do not benefit and the amounts of waste produced may not be affected. The market-based road offers options to companies to change their emissions count (or buy them off), but may not necessarily do anything towards achieving a goal of smaller emissions among all companies.
