Machina ex Machina

Greendom has drawn the wrong moral from the catalytic converter story

GREENS hate technology, except when they love it. A case in point is the catalytic converter, whose introduction in the 1970s virtually ended America’s smog problems. It’s an inspiring story: The Environmental Protection Agency ordered massive cuts in emissions, and auto-industry executives said they could never be met – but they were, thanks to old-fashioned American ingenuity called into existence, at least in part, by government fiat. In recent debates over revised Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards and the Kyoto Accord on climate change, the catalytic converter has been cited again and again as an example of a sweeping technological fix inspired by tough regulations.

About the Author

Fred Schwarz

Fred Schwarz was a deputy managing editor of National Review.

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Greendom has drawn the wrong moral from the catalytic converter story

GREENS hate technology, except when they love it. A case in point is the catalytic converter, whose introduction in the 1970s virtually ended America’s smog problems. It’s an inspiring story: The Environmental Protection Agency ordered massive cuts in emissions, and auto-industry executives said they could never be met – but they were, thanks to old-fashioned American ingenuity called into existence, at least in part, by government fiat. In recent debates over revised Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards and the Kyoto Accord on climate change, the catalytic converter has been cited again and again as an example of a sweeping technological fix inspired by tough regulations.