Libertarians do math: the war on covid + climate change = the end of civilization!
On Monday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a program to study the health effects of climate change, especially on disadvantaged communities (NYT):
The Office of Climate Change and Health Equity, which the administration announced on Monday, will be the first federal program aimed specifically at understanding how planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels also affect human health. It will fall under the Department of Health and Human Services.
It’s an area that medical experts have urged the government to take more seriously, and public health leaders said the new office was long overdue.
What should we make of this? Without studying this in any detail, I think a reasonable person could be initially inclined towards any of the following views:
- This is a good idea, because climate change is real and health disparities are important.
- This is basically a PR stunt and it won’t do much good but it won’t do much harm either.
- This is a distraction from what really matters, which is limiting greenhouse gas emissions.
But wait! Maybe this program is a threat to the existence of civilized society! Donald Boudreaux:
The Risk is that Civilization Will Be Destroyed Under the Pretense of Protecting Public Health
Uh huh. The Grey Lady continues:
President Biden has requested $3 million to fund the climate office next year, a sum that still requires congressional approval. Those setting up the office have been brought in from other agencies drawing on existing funds. John Balbus, the senior adviser to the director of the National Institutes of Health on climate change, will serve as interim director.
The road to serfdom is a libertarian trump card. To state the obvious, $3 million is not even rounding error in a $20 trillion economy, but the road to serfdom has to start somewhere, and of course it’s possible that this apparently trivial program will end up destroying liberal society. Just asking questions. I mean, one can never be too careful . . . (unless one is trying to prevent people from choking to death in the ICU, in which case one is just being a covid hysteric).
Unfortunately, to be continued . . .
We moved here for clean air, among other things. This year the fires are 2-300 miles away, so the air has only reached very unhealthy a couple of times. Last year it was hazardous (if not beyond the scale) for weeks at a time. This has to have an effect on health. My health provider did robocalls telling people to remain indoors with the central A/C on if possible.
I expect the flooding back east has repercussions too. Mold, mildew or contaminated water supplies come to mind. Mosquitos, anyone?
Of course the poor will bear the brunt of the effects. They always do, one way or another.
We can see the residue in the atmosphere of Denver.
Best thing I can think of is start talking to your neighbors, or go to political party meetings…to meet people, not to influence the party,,, and talk about this stuff and what to do about it, and reach out to other groups doing the same thing, and maybe in a reasonable time build up an “interest group” with real political power, then start doing things.
locally at first.
i guess i’m talking about clean air and environmental destruction generally.
IOW, seed and fertilize to build strong grass roots. Works for anything, not just environment, but apathy is barren ground.
I don’t think it would do much good to talk to Libertarians, but it might be a good thing to keep their fears in mind and invite them to suggest non-government solutions.
Isn’t “libertarian civilization” one of those oxymorons?
“To state the obvious, $3 million is not even rounding error in a $20 trillion economy, but the road to serfdom has to start somewhere, and of course it’s possible that this apparently trivial program will end up destroying liberal society. “
True
I guess if I’ve learned anythng from the internet it is that lots and lots of people are capable of jumping to huge improbable conclusions from very small maybe facts. I call this nightmare perspective. But it doesn’t do any good for me to tell them that.
but to give Boudreaux his due..and it’s not much…the size of the new program relative to the GDP is irrelevant to the question of whether it poses a danger to civilization. how big was the first Covid virus? how big was Napoleon?