In the aftermath of the United Nations summit on climate change there is widespread dissent about how effective the meetings actually were. Some have said that nothing much was really achieved during the meeting, while others think that these were the important first steps in sweeping changes that will take place around the world. There is a small group of people who believe that the United Kingdom’s commitments to reducing its carbon are far too ambitious and could possibly end up putting the UK back to the Middle Ages. One leading climate change expert warns that the financial investment required by the commitments would be too large to make the pledge a legitimate option.
Myron Ebell, who heads the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said that the United Kingdom’s ambitious commitment to reducing emissions could lead to serious problems. Ebell says that new green taxes aimed at reducing emissions would more than double the price of many food items, many of which are staples of British households. He claims that things like meat, bread, fish, and fresh vegetables would go up dramatically if the plans were to be carried out. He also says that rural communities would be cut off from cities due to the massive changes necessary in car, bus and train travel. He also claims that foreign travel would disappear as it would be far too expensive due to new taxes and regulations.
All of this would amount to return to the Middle Ages according to Ebell, who thinks that a more moderate approach needs to be taken to maximize the efforts.
|
|
