Pollution And Profits

Michael Greenstone, the Milton Friedman professor of economics at the University of Chicago who runs the Energy Policy Institution there, has come up with a far from surprising conclusion about  pollution. 'When one compares pollution readings from around the globe, it is evident that lower-income countries tend to have higher pollution.' (New York Times, 30 December) China and India are leading polluters simply because it is a more profitable way to carry out business. RD