Supersizing The American Dream In An Era Of Climate Change

摘要

We have seen that supersizing has become a pervasive feature of American life, contributing to making the United-States a truly singular force for climate change. The contention that bigger is not necessarily better has fallen on deaf ears. If the issue were just one of aesthetics, we could hold interesting debates. Unfortunately, however, supersizing has consequences going well beyond personal taste, as it contributes significantly to this country's carbon footprint. The connection between purchasing habits and carbon footprints has scarcely been broached in the United States. To the extent that climate change is seen as a serious environmental issue, the culprits are typically identified as large industries and utilities. A conscious effort has been made to avoid discussing any hint of sacrifice that might be needed on the part of the American public. For these reasons, it makes little sense to call for a direct assault on supersizing. Any proposed size restrictions would occasion an outpouring of opposition claiming that consumer sovereignty was being unduly suppressed. Supersizing, therefore, has to be addressed in a more subtle fashion-one which maintains the right to choose, but also incorporates full social costs in the purchase. By making costs real and transparent, we begin to alter the decisionmaking equation that has prevailed for the last 30 years. None of the proposals suggested in the previous section take away the consumer right to supersize, just as we have not taken away the individual's right to smoke even in the face of daunting medical evidence of the harm it is inflicting. We simply make it more likely that smoking will be voluntarily abandoned. The stigma now associated with smoking is reflective of the social norm that has been produced surrounding this individual behavior. We are simply at the beginning stages of producing a similar norm against supersizing today.