Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Restore Free Market Capitalism for the Environment

By Jonathan Mariano, TriplePundit.com
Triple Pundit
May. 21, 2011

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is well known as an environmental advocate and attorney. Given his pro-environment position, it is quite unexpected to hear Kennedy advocate for free market capitalism in order to protect the environment.

If you ask many committed environmental folks, they would probably be anti-free market capitalism. If you ask many free market adherents, they would probably be anti-environmentalist.

However, the rather unique pro-free market, yet pro-environment position came during Kennedy's evening keynote address at the Sustainable Operations Summit, at The Langham Huntington in Pasadena, CA earlier this week. His position at first took the crowd by surprise, but was well received after Kennedy’s digression.

Free Market Capitalism vs. Crony Capitalism

Kennedy differentiated the various flavors of capitalism. The one he favors for the environment is free market capitalism. The one he opposes is the sort of "capitalistic" system we have in place as we speak, crony capitalism.

"Show me a polluter, and I'll show you a subsidy," insisted Kennedy, implying that the biggest polluters in the environment are actually subsidized by the taxpayer. Crony capitalism is when the government and corporations collude to divert tax payer dollars (grants or subsidies) and/or create laws that benefit the given corporation. If free market capitalism is upheld, no such collusion between government and corporation is even possible.

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