The green issue and the prisioners dilema
Imagine you want to buy a data center … you have a choice of 3 suppliers, all things being equal and above board, you will choose the supplier that provides the best kit and service for the lowest cost,.
simple?
no.
If you look at it from an entirely fiscal point of view, which ever supplier has the lowest cost has an advantage in winning the business, as they can provide a lower cost to their customer. But thats bloody obvious I hear you yelling. What stops one of our suppliers from behaving like a right bastard, abusing their work force and the environment? The answer is the state with its threat of the judiciary which representing us individuals and the other suppliers can remove that suppliers competitive advantage and even freedom. Overall everyone is forced to co-operate and by and by everyone more or less wins, in the places where the judiciary has the ability to impose its will.
Game theory describes situations like this as “The prisoners dilemma” the prisoners who default are the bad suppliers, and if everyone behaves (both prisoners and guards) then every one wins
Now apply this logic to the global green issue and climate change. Whichever country that pollutes has a commercial advantage because they have lower costs … but … on a global scale there is no real judiciary except the western military which is not powerfull enough to enforce fair play across the entire problem domain therefore the only state that the world can adopt is the Pareto-suboptimal solution. I.e. all nations default, and we allow the environment to collapse.
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