Quote:
Originally Posted by edslunch
We may pay a lot of tax and high housing costs, but the majority of what we buy is ridiculously cheap from a historic perspective. We are absolutely not ‘paying through the nose’ for most things but we will need to be if we hope to curb our unsustainable consumption. Hence the carbon tax for example. Economic incentive is about the only method to change society’s behaviour outside of regulation.
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If you're talking about things like electronics and other luxuries, then I agree. We generally don't pay what those things are worth. I am talking more about things like energy and housing. The average Canadian pays a large percentage or their income on housing, commuting to work, and keeping the power on.
I agree that economic incentives are the mechanism for change, but instead of penalizing people for having to commute, the goal should be to build cities where people can afford to live where they work and other persuasive economic incentives for change. You can make using energy more punitive for consumers, but it doesn't reduce overall reliance we have. It just makes people poorer.
But yeah, I am fine if big screen TVs cost $6,000 instead of $800.