Speaking within the current context of the volatile tariff war between the US and supply chain countries like China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, he advocates for fiscal approaches that reduce the cost of sustainable alternatives rather than excessive taxation.
He emphasises the interdependence of fossil fuels and global stability, saying that removing subsidies and applying levies are deeply political acts.
Talking about the difficulty of scaling next-generation materials and processes that can’t reach cost parity with incumbent solutions, he says, “If your path to sustainability isn’t sustainable itself, you are not on a path to sustainability.”
Adding that using fiscal instruments to interfere with market competition is questionable. “The problem with excessive taxation or removing subsidies or legislative interventions that don’t necessarily build robust systems, they just brute force their way into making change happen, and most of the time, those changes are not sustainable enough,” he told Berman.
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