Legislation can be an effective way to encourage innovation or choices that benefit society but governments need to set priorities and design laws to achieve those priorities. If governments or oversight organizations can figure out a way to ensure products sold somehow address true costs of a product, then we could make better decisions and don’t need to have legislation on every new technology. Right now there are laws that give tax breaks to large, luxury SUV owners on the books. This might be in conflict to other priorities which include reduction of carbon emissions. So what is the answer? Rather than creating laws to ‘boost hybrid usage, or ‘compensate business owners,’ consumers should be able to make decisions about purchases and its benefit or harm to society based on simple metrics that are well defined, understood and complete. Something might be labeled organic but travelled 4000 miles to get to your store. A car might be low emissions but has disposal issues or made with unfair labor practices.A measure for a product might be “What is the entire carbon footprint from manufacture, usage to disposal of the product?” What is the impact on society, e.g. “Was it created using fair trade practices?” For example, a product that is recycleable/renewable would have a better rating than a product that is throwaway since disposal costs are either accounted for in cost of product or the rating identifies its score against a understood benchmark.Better labelling and knowledge about true product costs can expose issues that even so-called ‘good’ choices may not be the best choice. Consumers then vote with their dollars and ultimately changes happen in the industries themselves. Category:Home › Home • Will higher gasoline prices mean lower sales for new cars? — part 2 • Will higher gasoline prices mean lower sales for new cars? — part 1 • Should the crew of the Sea Shepherd board whaling ships? • Which makes a better pet: A dog or a cat? — part 13 • Grandparents: Can blogging chronicle your genealogy? • Which makes a better pet: A dog or a cat? — part 12 • Are teachers unions the cause of public school problems today? • Which makes a better pet: A dog or a cat? — part 11
