Analysis Of What Money Can T Buy Michael Sandel

“The Earth is the mother of all people, so why not treat her like so?” -Chief Joseph

Since the rise of the industrial revolution, pollution has been a major problem for our planet. From the beginning, Greenhouse Gases, Carbon Dioxide, and many other fatal chemicals have bombarded our atmosphere. With all of these chemicals slowly ruining our Planet’s atmosphere, the government has made small steps, in order to regulate the amount of gases being emitted from a companies’ productions. With the government’s new regulations being enforced, revenue was a necessity. Big companies eventually provided this revenue for the government leading to the making of Tradable Pollution Permits. In the book, What Money Can’t Buy, Michael Sandel talks about his

He claims that he used to oppose the idea, but changed his mind, eventually siding with Tradable Pollution Permits. He currently argues that “emitting carbon dioxide is not itself objectionable. We all do it when we breathe, there is nothing wrong with putting C02 in the air.”(Sandel, 73) To some extent I can agree with this statement, because we do, in fact, exhale carbon dioxide everyday. However, Michael Sandel is not considering that the amount of C02 emitted from factories is much higher compared to the the C02 emitted from our lungs. Those who are supportive of Tradable Pollution Permits, argue that these permits prevent the emissions of pollution produced from factories. This is what the permit was originally intended to do. Unfortunately, these intentions did not put into consideration all of the corruption of wealthy nations and companies. “The second approach says in effect that emitting pollution is not like littering but simply a cost of doing business.” (Sandel,

In my opinion, Tradable Pollution Permits are morally wrong, not only to society, but the planet our species lives on. “The Earth is the mother of all people, so why not treat her like so?” once said Chief Joseph, one of the leaders of the Wal-lam-wat-kain tribe. Planet Earth doesn’t belong to anyone, including big companies and nations who trade Pollution Permits. “Letting rich countries buy their way out of meaningful changes in their own wasteful habits reinforces a bad attitude - that nature is a dumping ground for those that can afford it.” (Sandel, 76) If Earth doesn’t belong to anyone, than who granted the government permission to regulate and enforce these permits that promote the pollution of our planet? Everyone living on Earth is affected by theses regulations, and the only people benefitting from these permits are the government. Essentially, the government, as well as big companies are putting our entire planet’s life and population in jeopardy for very selfish