There is a market failure when it comes to energy, but government intervention should run in precisely the opposite direction from what the Bush administration has proposed. The fact that Americans do not pay the full price for the pollution – especially enormous contributions to greenhouse gases – that results from their profligate energy use means that energy is under-priced, in turn sustaining excessive consumption.
在能源方面存在着市场失灵的情况。但政府的干预恰好应该与布什政府所倡导的方式背道而驰。美国人没有为其所造成的污染—特别是由于挥霍能源而造成的温室气体排放—付出完全的代价，意味着能源定价过低的情况在支撑着能源过度消费。