Conservative/Libertarian economics and anthropic global warming

[popeyespappy]

It’s been my experience that many conservatives and libertarians deny anthropic global warming. I believe this line of thinking is affected by belief bias with its roots in objections to proposed policies that would limit emissions of greenhouse gasses. I this thread I would like to discuss not the science of anthropic warming, that has been discussed in other threads, but the economic consequences of man-man climate change and how that effects the basic precept of property rights.

In his paper TAKING PROPERTY RIGHTS SERIOUSLY: THE CASE OF CLIMATE CHANGE, libertarian lawyer Jonathan H. Adler argues the point that the do nothing attitude about climate change currently favored by conservatives and libertarians is a serious transgression against the property rights of those who stand to lose the most economically from such change. In the paper he concludes that advocates of free market environmentalism (FME) need to adjust their thinking.

I agree with that, I've held this position for some time, environmental damage effects property rights and our right to life, as such the government has a role in preventing the thwarting of rights, though I don't believe government are going to come up with a solution nor is their proposed method of planned development going to be the best use of resources for solving the problems and that the demand for resource efficiency as energy prices rise and fossil fuel reserves are depleted is going to be the main driving force behind any change - As such the best policy would be to remove taxes on efficient consumer and commercial goods making them more viable.

The government has a role to prevent someone else from 'dirtying my shit' as Freidman put it, Because it is unfeasible for individuals to seek compensation for the cost imposed upon the government have a responsibility to enforce the rights of others in penalizing or dismantling institutions that thwart such rights.

So how do you propose the industrial world compensate those whose property rights are negatively affected by anthropic global warming? The worst of which will probably be at some point in the future when those of us who are currently contributing the most to the future damage will be dead and beyond caring.

Also, did you know the US government is currently sitting on about $50 trillion worth of weapons grade nuclear material that could be converted into fuel for highly efficient 4th generation breeder reactors?