Benjamin’s review of Power Metal: The Race for the Resources That Will Shape the Future > Likes and Comments

Thanks Benjamin. Much appreciated, especially from someone familiar with those other fine books that you mentioned that overlap some with my own. Can I ask why you think I got "myopic" at the end?

Hi Vince, pleasure to hear from you, and thank you for this book.

I believe that tangible policy recommendations are important, especially on topics like this where you could ostensibly leave the reader to complete the gestalt loop themselves.

However, I think the solution presented - to essentially tax car ownership and use until it is no longer viable to drive, will be a political non-starter if it is not localized. For example, I live in the Boston area, where we have remarkably good public transit for the US. But if these tax rules are applied across the board to people living in Central Pennsylvania, Texas, or the Midwest, I believe that any national politician who takes up the mantle of Pigouvian taxation will struggle to connect with people outside the big cities.

There is a significant (majority) voting block in the United States that believes it is under attack by city-dwelling, public-transit taking, bus-riding climate warriors. That group also just happens to hate and politicize all taxes (recall the Tea Party).

I believe if we try to tackle climate change (a politically charged issue) through government disincentives, specifically a tax (an even more politically charged issue) on those exact non-city dwellers who are already skeptical about all of this, the policy will die in the cradle, along with the politician that puts it forth.