Hi Jack -

What I have suggested is, as a starting point, a business effort, not a governmental action. I think you're jumping the gun a bit on building that up into something else again. Amazon, ebay and others could make it more convenient for their customers to shop in-country or in-state or the like. Even if only a small percentage of those customers do so, it would lower carbon emissions.

It's true I would also like to see trade issues addressed between my country and others, by governmental action, but that isn't what I have focused on here.

@kmaz So lets try to lower our carbon footprint by increasing local consumption. Somehow, to me, sounds counter productive.

Hi @JackPedigo

One part of the basic idea is you're not incorporating large freight transportation carbon footprints into goods that can be delivered from having been manufactured close by. There are other factors that might drive the carbon cost accounting up or down, but that's the basic of it.

Additionally, the basic idea is that if a person wants to support businesses in their community/state/region/country, this shop-(relatively)-locally feature on a retail service would make it more attractive for them to use that service.

Neither of these in themselves increases consumption. You're going to buy what you're going to buy, but the question is "from where?" There is always some concern about some degree of the rebound effect (or somewhat analogous principles) that might lead to greater consumption once shopping becomes better/cheaper/easier/more-desirable, but I don't think that's something that can be helped directly when one makes progress in other areas.

@kmaz Yes the freight costs and impact need to be factored in but people will always buy the cheaper product no matter where made. Yes, we do absolutely need to restart manufacturing here but there are still natural resources (like Lithium) that are hard to find here. The absolute best would be if we simply drastically lowered our consumption rate but we all know that's asking too much for spoiled Americans. One reason for inflation was people needed to sooth themselves during the pandemic and they think buying is the way to do that. More demand and problems with the supply chain lead to inflation. And then we blame the government for something we have created.

Hi Diaco:

What are you asking about China? They can order online goods manufactured in their own country and receive those goods, at lower carbon footprint than importing them? What's the issue? Are you referencing other nations' dependency on importing goods from China? Then fewer goods would be exported to other countries from China. I"m still not sure what you are claiming as an issue that you are trying to raise here.

@kmaz Hi I mean the production price! " Price war " and China's influence on other economic