link to original reddit post by /u/Honouwu
First lets state the obvious: Yes, the globe is getting warmer. But it just isn't as bad as activists make it up to be.
It is a fact, that climate activists have been blowing this out of the proportion, and that environmental alarmism is hurting us all and costing us trillions. But lets try another thing: Free Market environmentalism.
What makes the Free Market superior to Government regulation?
Ownership as people tend to take better care of what they own. Good stewardship is rewarded with increased value. Most people take better care of their own home than another's, for example.
Accountability is also enhanced with clear ownership rights by making people responsible for harm done to others. The driver responsible for an auto collision, for example, is liable for any damages done.
Trade encourages owners to realize what value others put on a resource. For example, a conservation group willing to pay for water that is left instream forces an irrigating farmer to consider the conservation value of the river.
There are empirical data backing up this idea that the establishment of property rights(If done right, not like the british rail privatization!) solves the Tragedy of the Commons better than any regulation.
Overfishing
One example is ITQ, or individual tranferable quotas. Basically the institution of property rights to prevent overfishing. The benefits are clear, and it has not only achieved its goal of preventing overfishing, but also increased the profitability and responsibility of fisheries.
ITQs, or property rights, have proven themselves to be great solutions to the tragedy of the commons in fishing, and improving the fisheries' themselves too.
Other environmental sectors continue to suffer with that problem, such as deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest. One common talking point in the South American left as a solution to JBS S.A's invasion of the Rainforest is to expand Native Reserves in the region. However, this is actually a solution that involves transfering property rights from the Government to individuals, or a small tribe.
These reserves have been bravely fighting off loggers and ranchers, who cooperated with the Government in order to bend the law. We again return to those 3 points I mentioned earlier, this is the practical demonstration that this pillaging entity has no incentive to protect said land and is easily corruptible. This irresposibility only brings harms towards the environment, and its inefficacy is proof that another approach is needed.
Deforestation
As just mentioned, the expansion of Native Reserves and Indigenous lands is part of my ideal solution. However the real deal is... Eco-Tourism.
Transferring ownership to an Eco-Tourism firm not only solves the Tragedy of the Commons, but also creates profitable incentives for good preservation of the land the firm owns. Just as companies fight between themselves to satisfy the consumer by offering better products, cheaper prices and higher quality services, these incentives would also be present in an Eco-Tourism market. Competition between Eco-Tourism firms would generate incentives to preservate the fauna and flora, keep intervention as low as possible, all to make a better service for tourists to appreciate.
Ecotourism Lodges has proven itself sustainable by saving a Brazilian River Basin, and the growing industry of ecotourism in the Amazon lets travelers get an insider's view of this vast and lush landscape, all the while being a source of income for locals and preservating the forest and providing stable and well-defined property rights to avoid invasions by ranchers or the JBS S.A.
Free Markets approach to environmental conservation is the best solution, and a site I love to read is PERC, which provides good books and articles about freedom in the environmental sector.
There are also tons of other examples and solutions, but I'm getting out of time and also a bit tired, and I just wanted to give some ammunition to Libertarians that don't know much about this subject in particular.
Thank you for reading this, please let me know of any spelling or citation mistake. Have a nice day, and God bless you.