I have no objection at all to cleaning up the planet of ALL pollutants.
I agree 100%, good housekeeping is essential. And I think we are doing a pretty good job here. The trucks that infest the highways now, carry twice and more the loads of 20 years ago, at twice the speed using half the fuel. And their exhausts have been cleaned dramatically. Technology is amazing. I think we take it too much for granted.
The carrot will always win over the stick. The trouble with trying to control with zealous regulation is that distortion occurs and some sectors of the community suffer more than others.
What happened in the 1970s fuel crisis is a perfect example. Initially, regulations requiring certain minimum levels of noxious gases, actually resulted in more fuel being used, not less. So while individual vehicles produced less per unit of fuel used, fuel consumption actually went up so the net result was worse than before. But once technology took over the result was dramatic. Fuel used now is half what it was in the seventies, and the pollutants produced are a fraction of what they were then.
So if Ms Milne and co can just cool it for a while, they might be surprised at what happens.
