My neighbor in Denver said his new gas stove is a 'personal choice' and climate rules are overreach.

We were talking over the fence last month. He just got a fancy new gas range. I mentioned the push for electric induction to cut home emissions. He got serious and said, 'The government telling me how to cook is a step too far. It's my kitchen.' It stuck with me. Where do you draw the line between personal freedom and needed rules for the climate?

2 comments

2 Comments

charlie_fisher4529d agoMost Upvoted

That's a tough spot. Personal choice matters, but so does the shared cost of pollution. Maybe the line is when your personal choice starts to really hurt the shared thing we all need, like clean air.

ivan_perez28d ago

Man, that reminds me of my buddy who used to burn his trash in the backyard. He said it was his property, his choice. Then his neighbor's kid with asthma had to go to the hospital after a bad burning day. It really hit him that his "choice" was filling a sick kid's lungs with smoke. He stopped doing it after that. Sometimes you don't see the line until someone gets hurt.