It’s Not Easy Being Green

Protectionist policies are being justified with false claims they will protect the environment and jobs.

As Kermit the Frog famously sang "It’s not easy being green". Well, it certainly isn’t if you’re a politician. Green policies may be popular and they may even win you votes. But the flipside is that such policies usually come at a price to the consumer and the taxpayer. So the temptation for politicians is to find a way that will make them look green without actually hurting anyone.

The Australian government’s policy towards the car industry is a good example. You could hardly claim that the cars currently driving on Australia’s roads are the world’s most fuel-efficient. In fact, the proportion of V6 and V8 gas-guzzlers is extremely high in Australia- we love our big Commodores, Falcons and Utes.