Are we at the optimum level of pollution?

The debate on whether global warming is really being caused by human activity is beginning to lean towards a resounding yes. As technology has gotten better scientists have been able to watch sources of global warming more closely, and as the technology gets better it gets more and more likely that human activity is the cause of rising global temperatures.

Due to the fact that it is looking clear now that we are harming our environment and will most likely have to pay the consequences in the not so distant future it brings up the question: Are we really polluting at the optimum level? The optimum level of pollution should be the level at which the benefits outweigh the costs, but is that really the case? Are we only thinking in the short term, and not about what is to come in the future? Should we start making stricter restrictions on harmful emissions now, or deal with global warming when the oceans begin to rise?

The Cost of Saving the World

There has been a lot of talk about global warming in recent years. Most people think that we should do something now to stop it. Others say it will cost to much to do stop global warming. There are a lot of things we could be doing but what would we be giving up? In other words, what is the opportunity cost of saving the Earth?

To stop the things that cause global warming we would have to make major lifestyle changes. Factories, cars and other high pollution making things we use in our everyday life. Giving these
things up is a cost that needs to be accounted for. We also have to consider who would pay to stop these things from making pollution. The people in charge would be paid for making up the rules and enforcing them. We would also have to consider the cost of alternatives to what
we would be giving up.

This article talks about placing mandatory carbon caps on factories. This will decrease the rate that pollutants enter the air. This will also increase the price of electricity and gasoline. My question, like many others, is are we going to do a little bit to save the environment and pay a lot to do it, or keep going at the current pace and keep the economy in tact?