SocraticGadfly: Krugman gives Obama et al a pass on environmentalism

May 18, 2009

Krugman gives Obama et al a pass on environmentalism

Paul Krugman says its better to accept the Waxman-Markey bill on climate change rather than fight for something better that might not get passed.

But, for a Krugman column, it’s got a lot of errors, primarily of omission.

1. This bill has just been released. Who knows how eviscerated it will be six weeks from now?
2. Krugman overlooks how Europeans initially blew cap-and-trade.
3. Krugman ignores that Team Obama has already promised to give away, rather than sell, most cap-and-trade permit, rather than sell them, and to give many to big polluters.
4. Could somebody game cap-and-trade? One commenter to his column suggests “Enron.”
5. He overlooks the contrary to his position, that sometimes the good can be the enemy of the best, or the better.

Read the whole column and judge for yourself, but I think he’s wrong.

No comments: