Environmental Absolutism Backed by State Power

The Ministry of Environment says it will forcibly implement the disposable cup deposit system in December. It is regrettable that the government is excessively intervening in people’s daily lives. Interfering even in the choice of what kind of cup to use is an infringement in which the government substitutes its own judgment for consumers’ choices.

A campaign to reduce the use of disposable cups and legally mandating it are entirely different matters. If this is to be enforced, its justification must be clear. However, the disposable cup deposit system lacks both logical and scientific grounds and was created merely under the slogan of “environmental protection,” making it nothing more than an experiment that only harms consumers.

First, the social harm of disposable cups is not so clear that the law should compel people to use or not use them. On the contrary, disposable cups may be a better solution for environmental protection. Even so, if the government is to regulate this by law, there must be a proper alternative, and it must be certain that this alternative will produce better results for environmental protection.

Depending on the material, reusable cups must be used at least 20 times and up to 1,000 times before they can contribute positively to the environment. In reality, it is rare for reusable cups to be used that many times, so disposable cups may actually be the better option.

In other words, there is no real benefit to be gained from forcibly implementing the disposable cup deposit system. This is true environmentally, economically, and legally alike. This system has no practical benefit. It merely burdens consumers and business owners.

Then who stands to benefit from this regulation? It is the “environmental groups,” which can enjoy the justification of environmental protection and expand their influence. Environmentalism comes to reign as an absolute good, creating a social perception that it can be enforced by law.

However, forcing environmentalism on the public for the sake of environmental groups is the arrogance of environmental absolutism and an abuse of power. Environmental activism should remain at the level of campaigns; it should not seek to impose the order of daily life through state power.

Everyone is concerned about the environment. People each want the environment to improve for their own sake, and they voluntarily clean up their surroundings out of consideration for others so that they can live in a cleaner environment. Consumers and business owners have improved the environment voluntarily, and through science and technology have achieved higher environmental standards. It is not environmental groups’ claims or legal compulsion that have improved the environment.

Moreover, in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, public awareness of hygiene in our society has grown even stronger. Forcing the use of reusable cups or inducing unnecessary returns that jeopardize sanitation and cleanliness in stores and threaten personal hygiene is nothing but an abuse of state power.

Our citizens have thought about the environment at a higher level than environmental groups and have put improvement into practice. It is undesirable to undermine the order of our society and threaten hygiene and the environment for the sake of environmental groups.

The government’s policy of forcibly implementing the disposable cup deposit system for the sake of environmental groups should be withdrawn. I hope politics and administration will be carried out for the people and consumers.

Sung-no Choi

President, Center for Free Enterprise (CFE)

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Original title: 공권력에 기댄 환경제일주의

Author: Sung-no Choi

Date: 2022-10-18

Source: https://www.cfe.org/bbs/bbsDetail.php?cid=press&idx=25010