Roll Out The Rationing: Researchers Call For Cuts For Climate Change

Eric Scheiner | February 23, 2023
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Using taxes is too “slow and inequitable” in forcing consumers to do the governments bidding on climate change, so a group of researchers is pushing the rationing of goods in order to reduce those pesky emissions you are all creating.

“In this paper, we argue that rationing has been neglected as a policy option for mitigating climate change. There is a broad scientific consensus that avoiding the most severe impacts of climate change requires a rapid reduction in global emissions. We argue that rationing could help states reduce emissions rapidly and fairly,” Researchers at the University of Leeds, wrote in a paper for the Ethics, Policy & Environment journal.

“We defend a narrower, egalitarian conception of rationing (ECR), and we argue that this form of rationing has advantages over PCT (Personal Carbon trading), such that rationing (ECR) needs to be taken more seriously by academics and policy makers (and ultimately the general voting public).”

Related: Energy Sec Targets Fridges and Washing Machines For Climate Cult Sacrifice

The researchers claim the world needs to go back to the good old days of World War II.

“While some argue for the modernisation of rationing, introducing tradable allowances, we argue that the rejection of markets, and a commitment to fair shares, is a key part of the value of rationing, and precisely what made rationing attractive to the public in the 1940s.”

How would rationing be modernized, you ask? Well, the report is chock full of helpful suggestions.

"For example governments could limit the number of long-haul flights an individual could make in a year or they could limit the amount of petrol one can buy in a month. Though seemingly unpalatable, these policies could be adopted, and policies like these have been adopted in the past century, for example when food and petrol and other goods were rationed in the two world wars."

But rationing fuel certainly wouldn't be enough.

"Therefore, in addition to stricter regulations on fossil fuels, regulation could also target other areas. For example carbon-intensive farming methods and factory-farmed livestock could be banned – which would clearly have impacts on food supplies."

And while the clock is being rolled back to the WWII-era for your own good, it also seems like a good time to let the government “check your papers.”

“We have no objection to the modernization of rationing with carbon cards (like bank cards) to keep track of your carbon allowance rather than ration cards. We also have no fundamental opposition to a more generalized carbon allowance applying to all (or a large range of) goods, rather than individualized rations for specific goods.” 

 

You can check out the complete report for yourself, here. 

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