The planet cannot survive our remorseless pursuit of profit

[Judi Lynn]

Owen Jones

Oil companies knew 50 years ago the huge damage they were doing. Their motive to ignore it is the same now as it was then

Fri 19 Mar 2021 12.12 EDT

Capitalism is on a collision course with human life and the future of our planet. Each year, air pollution takes more lives than smoking: the last estimate suggests 8.8m deaths across the world, compared with 7m from cigarettes.

As documents seen by the Guardian reveal, the oil industry has known for half a century that pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels poses severe threats to human health. By the late 1960s, Shell’s internal documents warned air pollution “may, in extreme situations, be deleterious to health”, while by 1980, Imperial College was warning of “birth defects among industry worker offspring”. And yet the same industry actively lobbied against clean air regulations proposed to protect health and save lives.

This may cause moral revulsion, but the behaviour is perfectly rational. An economic system based on accumulating profit will downgrade all other considerations, including the sanctity of human life. There is no economic incentive for a fossil fuel company to willingly support measures that minimise the detrimental impact of their relentless search for profit: indeed, quite the opposite.

Take another example of a product that has a detrimental impact on the environment and our health: meat. Eating too much processed and red meat is bad for health, while meat and dairy production accounts for 14.5% of global greenhouse emissions. But healthier diets and lower emissions as a result of lower meat consumption would not accord with big meat’s desire to maximise profits. In 2014, the industry splashed out around $10.8m (£7.7m) in campaign donations, and another $6.9m lobbying the federal government. That investment paid off: in 2015, the US Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services declared that sustainability would not be considered as a factor in their flagship dietary guidelines.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/19/planet-pursuit-profit-oil-companies-damage

[I_UndergroundPanther]

1. Capitalism is no way to run a society

It's time people admit capitalism has failed as a system.

Will we ever move past it? Our lives may depend on us abandoning it and making the profit mongers pay to clean up thier messes.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

2. It hasn't failed at all ... it's done exactly what it was meant to do (nt)

[I_UndergroundPanther]

3. It has failed humanity

It has failed to be humane.

[Random Boomer]

5. Capitalism as opposed to what else?

I'm far from a defender of capitalism, but humans in large groups have rarely developed either a financial or a governing system that didn't eventually lead to inequality, corruption and abuse of power.

The problem is not the system, it's the human beings. We're hard-wired for greed and for altruism and we constantly dance between them.

[PETRUS]

6. Why shouldn't we judge systems?

First, I do agree with you about the fallibility and contradictory nature of human beings (and I don't have any firm convictions about how much of that we can overcome with social engineering). But I don't think that's the whole story. For example, I don't think Nazism would be fine if not for a few bad actors - its very architecture is repugnant to me. My opinion of capitalism is similar. I think the immorality and its socially and ecologically destructive tendencies are baked in.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

7. Thank you agree with you.we should judge systems

It's one way to overcome them or fix them.

[Duppers]

4. Not just capitalism. The planet cannot support 8 Billion

people.

Human-driven deforestation affects ecosystems, weather patterns, and climate. Forests cover less than 30% of the planet's land mass, but humans are clearing these essential carbon filters/ oxygen creators on a massive scale in order to grow more food.

Folks, please watch...

[I_UndergroundPanther]

8. At this point

And the destruction caused by 8 billion people..

When is it ok to think people wanting kids are being selfish for adding to the 8 billion consuming the world?

Parents hate being called selfish and we do not question that parenting has consequences. That it might be wrong sometimes to have kids and add to the ruin of the future of our species to pass on those selfish genes and family names..

Because we can control birth if we choose to.

To me it is and act of compassion to be childfree.

Yet parents act all resentful of childfree people.

That additude needs to change.

And all forms of reproductive care including making oneself sterile should be freely availiable.
Plus more men need to be more responsible for where they put thier sperm realizing pregnancy happens.
Pregnancy does not happen without sperm involved. Wear a damn condom or get the vas deferens cut.

[Duppers]

9. ... 👍