1. What if it is not?
If it is not [much adieu about nothing] -- meaning, of course, that it DOES matter, then over time, that will become apparent and the argument will disappear, and everyone will be on the same team and solve the problem. But you cannot attack this "problem" when most people simply don't believe it is an issue, and you don't make it better by misleading people about it. If it is a problem, we'll find out soon enough, if it isn't, then we don't need to lie to people to make them think it is.
2. What is the downside of taking it really seriously?
I can answer this best by using an example. In '94, Al Gore was instrumental in legislating the low-flush toilet in an effort to reduce water consumption. What happened? For every low-flush toilet put into service, water consumption has risen due to the need for multiple flushes to adequately empty it.
Government regulation gone awry, and Gore, himself, was instrumental in making it happen.
Last year, the DOE required washing machines to use 21% less energy, which resulted in washers NOT doing the job, and people washing clothes twice: Result? More water consumption.
So, there are two of the [mildest] examples I can think of. |
