John Broome's "The Effect of Climate Change"

I do not think that examining climate change through a market-lens is the best way to go. Broome's essay was heavy on technical terms and hard to relate to. Through his writing, it was difficult to connect both issues being presented. Broome attempted to analyze climate change through a market economy. He believes that the more well-off an individual is, the more greenhouse gases he or she will emit into the environment because he or she has the means and money to do so. This is a difficult conclusion to draw because intent is also an issue at hand. Given the money, technology, and transportation, poorer people would most likely follow suit in terms of emitting greenhouse gases. This is not a safe conclusion to draw anyway because the lifestyles of many lower class individuals are not necessarily eco-friendly because they do not have the money to accumulate as many material goods. In a previous article, it was said that poor people actually end up carrying a heavier carbon footprint. Studies were done relating the significant correlation between obesity, poor people, and the carbon they emit. Poorer people tend to be obese and buy a lot of fast food, and food that is not made in a sustainable way. They also tend to be the ones driving around everywhere. Based on information like this, it is difficult to make the claim that the more well-off one is, the more greenhouse gases they emit into the environment.

I think it is difficult to look at climate change through the lens of a market economy. There is more to climate change then just economic issues. Human intent, the course of nature, and the expansion of technology must all be taken into account. Just because you're rich, does not mean you are any more of a burden to the environment than the next guy. It is humanity as a whole that must take a look at their actions and change them together. Solving the problem that is climate change is not an equation that can be solved by simple computation. It is more of an open-ended essay that needs to be developed by the writer over time. Therefore, I do not agree with Broome's conclusions made in his essay.