Senator Whitehouse Responds to Jason Isaac

Jason Isaac’s notion that the “free market” is working on climate change ignores the massive subsidy paid to fossil fuel, mostly in the form of free pollution ($650 billion per year, per IMF), and it ignores free-market granddaddy Milton Friedman’s assertion that free markets require a price on pollution, to drive incentives and innovation to address the pollution. Many of us are willing to work within free-market principles to solve this looming crisis, but it has to be real free-market principles, not ones contorted to suit fossil fuel interests and protect free pollution.

Also, readers ought to know that the Texas Public Policy Foundation, where Mr. Isaac works, has received millions of dollars in funding from ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Devon Energy, and the Kochs, among other fossil fuel interests.

See the original article here: https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/447855-free-markets-not-carbon-taxes-will-improve-the-environment