What The Blankety Blank Does Externality Mean?

The citizens of Mount Pleasant are encountering a level of disagreement that is very disturbing in a community that practices cooperation and the ability to resolve problems to everyone’s benefit.

The problem is the emissions emanating from a processing plant located some distance northeast of Mount Pleasant. While the discharges are intermittent, their intensity increases when the prevailing winds are from the north east.

As expected much has been made of the issue including the origin, the content and the measures taken towards abatement

Analysis has determined that the responsible ingredients are harmful to breathing, odiferous and include carbon dioxide.

Conventional interventions such as electrostatic precipitators have been employed with some success. Carbon dioxide removal remains a problem.

Acerbating the situation are plans for the expansion of the processing plant and the growth of Mount Pleasant. As a result more air born materials will migrate to a closer urban area.

A Mount Pleasant citizen’s committee is in place to research the dilemma and provide directions for a solution. Dr. Ruth Carmichael, a Professor of Environmental Engineering, F D C University at Mount Pleasant has been engaged to provide consulting services.

At the last committee meeting Daryl Wanamaker, President of the Mount Pleasant Credit Union observed that the Mount Pleasant situation was likely duplicated elsewhere and what measures were undertaken in search of a solution.

Dr. Shahada replied that the interface of economic development and environmental outcomes are frequently at odds and difficult to solve.

The conundrum is the following. Citizens in and around Mount Pleasant are disadvantaged by the process plant’s emissions, in particular the carbon dioxide as it contributes to global warming. At the same time there is no direct benefit.

A benefit accrues to the process plant because there are no costs associated with the collection and disposal of the carbon dioxide. Ultimately this contributes to global warming, which is causing disruptive events. Economists have labeled this cycle negative externalities.

On the basis that increased costs will lower demand a charge is applied by the energy suppliers such as gasoline and electricity. Examples include consumers paying an amount when purchasing fuel at the pump and when purchasing electricity from the electrical utility. In certain cases, particularly for a political purpose, this levy referred to as a carbon tax.

The monies circulate from the energy supplier to a government agency. In some cases the funds are returned to the consumer by way of a rebate.

Daryl, on behalf of the Citizens Committee, expressed an appreciation for the analysis. He went on to say that an understanding is on one thing, a solution is another.

The recently appointed Director of The Mount Pleasant Health Services Centre, Elizabeth Zachary, explained her understanding of the issues.

The combustion of natural gas and oil generates  products such as carbon dioxide. This escapes into our atmosphere and more or less trapped. The gas serves as a shield and its presence causes the atmosphere to warm up. To date there is little availability to capture the carbon dioxide or remove what is already there.

Plants such as the one referred in the vicinity of Mount Pleasant do not remove the carbon dioxide and therefore no costs are encountered. However  there are costs associated with its presence in the atmosphere which causes global warming. We now know this is having dire consequences across the globe.

If it cannot be reduced at source what alternatives are there? Governments have chosen to add a cost to the consumer which will provide incentives to reduce usage. An added outcome is to generate revenue which can be used for developing less impactful energy sources. Elizabeth concluded by saying “I understand why politicians, fossil fuel producers and citizens at large stand in opposition. In one case the charge is immediately punitive as compared to the collection scenario which will have no immediate positive outcomes.

A recent Mount Pleasant arrival is Dr. Matviy Shevchenko. He is a Family Doctor and new member of the Citizens Committee. His inquiry focused on timing as to when there will be much less carbon dioxide generated by facilities similar to the one close to Mount Pleasant. If so when this limited amount of carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere will the global warming issue cease to exist?

Dr.Shahada replied that energy sources that do not produce carbon dioxide are very much in demand and subject to research and development across the world. This is an excellent topic for our next conference in one month’s time.