Why the Corporate Rich Oppose Environmentalism

[sintax]

Why the Corporate Rich Oppose Environmentalism

by Michael Parenti

In 1876, Marx's collaborator, Frederich Engels, offered a prophetic caveat: "Let us not . . . flatter ourselves overmuch on account of our human conquest over nature. For each such conquest takes its revenge on us. . . . At every step we are reminded that we by no means rule over nature like a conqueror over a foreign people, like someone standing outside of nature--but that we, with flesh, blood, and brain, belong to nature, and exist in its midst.

This capital accumulation process treats the planet's life-sustaining resources (arable land, groundwater, wetlands, forests, fisheries, ocean beds, rivers, air quality) as dispensable ingredients of limitless supply, to be consumed or toxified at will. Consequently, the support systems of the entire ecosphere--the Earth's thin skin of fresh air, water, and top soil--are at risk, threatened by global warming, massive erosion, and ozone depletion. An ever-expanding capitalism and a fragile finite ecology are on a calamitous collision course.


<snip>

In recent years, Bushite reactionaries within the White House and Congress, fueled by corporate lobbyists, have supported measures to
(1) allow unregulated toxic fill into lakes and harbors,
(2) eliminate most of the wetland acreage that was to be set aside for a reserve,
(3) completely deregulate the production of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that deplete the ozone layer,
(4) eviscerate clean water and clean air standards,
(5) open the unspoiled Arctic wildlife refuge in Alaska to oil and gas drilling,
(6) defund efforts to keep raw sewage out of rivers and away from beaches,
(7) privatize and open national parks to commercial development,
(8) give the remaining ancient forests over to unrestrained logging,
(9) repeal the Endangered Species Act,
(10) and allow mountain-top removal in mining that has transformed thousands of miles of streams and vast amounts of natural acreage into toxic wastelands.

<snip>

Mind you, we did not choose this “car culture.” Ecologically efficient and less costly mass transit systems and rail systems were deliberately bought out, privatized and torn up, beginning in the 1930s in campaigns waged across the country by the automotive, oil, and tire industries. These industries put "America on wheels," in order to maximize profits for themselves, and to hell with the environment.


http://www.zmag.org/sustainers/content/2005-08/04parenti.cfm

[wli]

1. not cynical enough

Finite resources (e.g. oil) and corrupting near-infinite resources (e.g. fresh water) is in fact beneficial to the corporate interests in and of itself. It creates artificial scarcity. The privatization and despoiling of the commons not only holds short-term gains, it has the further long-term gain of Enronizing the resources in question.

[sintax]

3. The optimum human as measured by the US GDP

is a middle-aged man undergoing a costly coronary by-pass operation and a costly divorce. This is not conjecture or being flip this is as measured and laid out through the accounting procedures of this (dis)economy.

Hospital/insurance fees and costs
Lawyers
A new housing start
Ideally psycologists for the damaged children
Etc.

A few years back I saw how this was calculated and figured into the GDP.

The "ideal" location was a Superfund site

[nosmokes]

2. great article. spot on.

in order to maximize profits for themselves, and to hell with the environment. yep, the bottom fucking line, that is all that matters.

[OneBlueSky]

4. short and sweet answer to that one is "mo' money, mo' money" . . . n/t

.