Ah, Capitalism

As a sailor/surfer and the GM of a manufacturing facility producing the foam cores used to make surfboards, environmental issues are very important to me. I know that when I research directions and issues of concern to me both personally and professionally there is much confusion and contrary opinion. I believe that environmental issues make up more than how we deal with the natural environment. They also - and perhaps more importantly - deal with the human issue.

Here is where capitalism comes into play. Any issue, environmental or otherwise, that comes to the forefront will be appropriately addressed when a profit potential is clear. This is an absolute fact in all levels of society from the young boy that may cut your lawn to the energy companies and the need to search out alternatives. If you don't think this is true, ask your gardener to cut the lawn for $2 a week - it won't happen. It readily happens when the profit meets the demand. So it is true of the energy companies on down.

There is no motivation to look for alternative energy sources when plenty of money is being made in the current conditions and the alternatives cost more and provide less profit. We then can say, ah yes, but this is short term thinking. Yes, oil is a finite supply but the short term for this issue goes beyond most of our lifetimes and certainly longer than a CEO's term as the lead sled dog. Obviously short term is a relative condition.

Once the profit potential is clear, all the needed resources to take advantage of the condition will be available. So I am not too concerned about global warming and in fact there is so much happening with this issue now that solutions will come forward - and some will make plenty of money providing those solutions.

One thing that does concern me however is that the solutions are often bandages. Take, for instance, southern California where there is no water naturally. We continue to build - in the desert with no water - more and more homes that need water. We even build golf courses in the desert - with no water - that use huge amounts of water. Instead of saying no we have exceeded the resource, we look for the water bandage initially with damming the rivers and then with a possible desalination facility.

Time has now shown us that damming the rivers was a mistake because sediment flow is important for the beaches, etc. We can't remove the dam because we still need the water and besides thousands of homes are now built where that water would flow. The jury is still out on the desalinator but what I know of it doesn't sound like the answer. Yet new homes are the money maker so that is the most important issue at the moment.

Ultimately capitalism will take care of the hard issues. I feel sure of that. The human issue is the real issue. From as far back as we have written history we know that human capital didn't rank as high as the dough. The pyramids were built by thousands of humans that were easily replaceable and inconsequential to the building of the Emperor's tomb. This goes true for slaves in the tobacco fields, to men and women in the world's armies, to the workers in factories around the world where safe healthy working conditions don't exist yet the managers are housed in luxury offices.

I simply don't understand how a human life became less valuable then the dollar, yen, euro, or whatever and God knows I don't have the answer to this one. I will, however, never let that attitude become part of me.