D.C.'s ban on cashless businesses takes effect
OK... naturally this is a political discussion; but I find the politics of this interesting and maybe even amusing.  I don&#x27;t live in DC and at don&#x27;t really have a horse in this race but I sense a contradiction.<p>I think many would consider Washington D.C. to be governed solidly by American progressives.  While the rationale for this law fits solidly within their views on egalitarianism, I wonder why no one is discussing another proclaimed progressive area of concern environmental impact and climate?<p>I have to think in this case cash must be significantly environmentally more impactful than the electronic payments.  Cash requires a surprising amount of raw materials to produce, not all of which I expect to be environmentally friendly.  Cash requires specialized transport, not just of the actual cash to and fro, but also of those raw materials. Sure electronic payments require power to operate, but I assure you hard cash is just as counted electronically as electronic payments.  Disposal of used cash I expect to have its own unique environmental impacts.<p>In essence making each unit of currency physically real rather than electronic would seem to have unaccounted for negative externalities, something my more progressive friends go on and on about when convenient, which I don&#x27;t even see getting lip service in relation to this law.  Or maybe in the eyes of the progressive establishment enacting these laws climate just isn&#x27;t nearly so important as equity&#x2F;social justice?<p>Again, not my fight, and I think the vast majority of &quot;negative externality&quot; arguments are made for rhetorical points rather than referring to some well considered analysis not to be ignored... but I would be curious to understand how progressives decide which priorities are of greater urgency than environment and climate given how those issues are typically couched.