Quote Originally Posted by Gilrandir View Post
Government(s) interfered enough forbidding incandescents and depriving consumers of choice. What about freedom of choice?
Because the market always knows best?
This is exactly what I meant when I said long-term strategies instead of short-term profit are needed. A consumer who buys an incandescent because the market price is lower is not even necessarily helping his own financial interests in the long term. That's because the homo oeconomicus, who is the basis of the idea that the market always knows best, doesn't really exist...

Or to take another angle if you want, why should people be allowed to ruin the path of the country or continent?
Are you also in favor of complete legalization of guns and drugs to defend consumer choice? Why is Heroin banned?

A choice for an incandescent represents an energy consumption that is avoidable and could harm everyone, much like the choice to dump plastic in the ocean. In fact I think more should be done to prevent the latter, such as controlling the plastic load of ships when they leave and enter port and big fines if the difference is beyond a margin of error.

Is the strict adherence to capitalist doctrine worth the potential ruination of the planet?
My answer is if the market incentivizes behavior that leads to a destruction of the resources we require to live on this planet, someone has to step in. To say this will self-regulate is like saying Ebola will self-regulate before the host dies, you can see how well that works.