Should sectors of the economy with a large environmental footprint be nationalized?

I know this isn't strictly new: in many countries, the energy sector and other industries with a heavy impact on the environment are nationalized.

There are, in my opinion, a couple of very good reasons for this:

• it obviates the need for regulation: the state can simply run the company in an environmentally responsible way
• it prevents the need for a trade-off between shareholder demands and regulation compliance
• it allows for long-term investment in environmentally friendly upgrades
• it allows for closer inspection and faster intervention in case of problems
• it avoids having prolonged litigation of cases of pollution
• ...

It is unfair and problematic both for the state and the private owners of companies to have a conflict over questions of environmental impact: by taking certain sectors from the open market, you remove the pressure to create profit whilst complying to regulations.


I'm sure there are more good reasons for and against this, too, but I can't think of any right now.

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