World War II-style ‘rationing’ of food and fuel needed to fight climate change, scientists say

According to a recently released science paper, governments should consider introducing World War II-style rationing policies for goods like food, fuel and clothing to combat climate change.

Researchers from the University of Leeds, a leading UK institution, wrote in the journal Ethics, Policy & Environment that rationing has been wrongly “neglected” as a policy option for climate change mitigation, arguing that such an approach would be more effective than “slow”. and unfair” outcomes of tax increases to advance the green agenda.

“We argue that rationing can help states cut emissions quickly and fairly,” the scientific article says. “Our arguments in this article are based on economic analysis and historical research on rationing in Britain during (and after) the two World Wars, highlighting success stories and correcting misconceptions.”

The authors added that “the rejection of markets and a commitment to fair distribution is a key part of the value of rationing and is precisely what made rationing attractive to the public in the 1940s.”

The fire department uses a ladder truck to escort environmental activists from the Extinction Rebellion DC group after they climbed the Wilson Building as part of an Earth Day anti-fossil fuel rally on April 22, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Ditch/Getty Images)

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In particular, governments can ration various goods such as airline tickets, gasoline, household energy, and even meat or clothing, according to the article, which also proposes capping “the number of long-haul flights a person can take in a year” or “the amount of gasoline one can buy.” per month”.

Another way to roll out the rationing scheme could be “carbon maps” to track the “carbon allowance”.

Such an idea is not new. Last year, the president of Alibaba Group, a major Chinese technology company, bragged at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum about developing “personal carbon footprint tracker” which will be able to track where people travel, how they travel and what they eat.

Scholars have pointed to World War II as a model for population rationing, arguing that while the rationing system is perceived as unappealing, many who experienced it did not have negative experiences.

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“It is important to emphasize the difference between the rationing itself and the scarcity to which the rationing was a reaction,” the document says. “Of course people were cheering for the end of rationing, but what they were really celebrating was the end of shortages and celebrating the fact that rationing was no longer necessary.”

The problem with energy rationing, the researchers note, is that people may not be as willing to accept it as if resources were scarce, because they know there is “an abundance of resources available.”

Therefore, they propose to regulate fossil fuels by limiting activities such as oil exploration, long-haul flights and intensive farming in order to create a shortage of products that harm the planet. Then, rationing could be gradually introduced to deal with subsequent shortages.

Critics were quick to denounce the paper’s suggestions as extreme and obnoxious.

“Academicians Propose Rationing to Combat Climate Change!” British TV presenter and former politician Nigel Farage tweeted. “Flights, meat, gasoline and even clothes should have a non-transferable token tracked by a “carbon card” instead of a bank card. The worst thing is that these crazy ideas will soon become mainstream.”

Researchers did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. However, the two lead authors of the article provided statements to the British media.

“There is a limit to how much we can throw away if we want to reduce the catastrophic effects of climate change. In that sense, the deficit is very real,” said Rob Lawlor.

Another lead author, Nathan Wood, said: “The concept of rationing can help not only with climate change mitigation, but with a host of other social and political issues, such as the current energy crisis.”

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Some supermarkets in Britain have already started rationing fruits and vegetables amid a surge in electricity prices that has bankrupted some farmers.