It would be nice if we would occasionally subject our certainties to a reality check. If it turns out that we made a mistake, there is nothing wrong with taking a step back and trying something different. A can deposit law that also eliminates the environmentally friendly deposit bottles should be thoroughly reformed, and so should the subsidization of inefficient solar energy, some of our insulation regulations and plastics recycling.

No one should be forced to bring toxic mercury-containing light bulbs into the house. It doesn’t make sense to shut down more nuclear power plants if it just makes us dependent on imported nuclear electricity from France. And as long as a disposal paper bag is worse for the environment than a plastic bag, the green morals police should think about whether it’s the plastic bag that they should be banning.

People who shop in organic grocery stores, eat a vegan diet or drive an electric car are free to do so. But this should not give them the right to lecture others on the environmentally correct way to live their lives. Things are sometimes more complicated than they seem at first glance.