[lhnz]

Wouldn't it be better for both the environment and local automation industries [0] if we produced goods within the countries that consume them?

Whether or not local manufacturing jobs never come back, I just don't see why you would want to continue with something which seemingly has so many negative externalities (ethical, environmental, as well as a loss of means to innovate).

[0] https://srconstantin.wordpress.com/2016/11/19/industry-matte...

[kuschku]

Well, no.

Production in Germany (~30% renewable, ~20% nuclear) or France (~85% nuclear) or Norway (~100% renewable) is far better for the environment than in the US (~3% nuclear and renewable combined).

Additionally, you can’t produce everything in every country – so producing as much as possible at one place and then shipping it out will be better.

[mrep]

Renewable energy in the United States accounted for 13.44 percent of the domestically produced electricity in 2015, and 11.1 percent of total energy generation.

First sentence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_the_United...

[lhnz]

Big corporations send manufacturing to countries where it can be done for cheaper due to fewer regulations protecting local environments and sweatshop working conditions (China, etc). They then place the products into shipping containers and burn the lowest-grade fuel we can extract from the ground in order to send it all over the world.

It might be cheaper in the short-term and supported by all of the most progressive corporations but the damage we're doing will affect all of us eventually.

Edit: I'm not saying that globalisation is all bad, but in the war against Trump it seems people are forgetting all of the bad parts...