The Surface Big Business And Climate Change

All forms of personal transportation account for “30 % of all U.S Global warming.” The oil will soon be “harder to extract”, which will end up creating more and more dirty emissions as well as harm the economy. Creating “Fuel efficient vehicles, Electric cars, and cleaner fuels” will help contribute to a solution for global warming problems but not permanently (UoCS Web). Big business have given an “up close” view of The damage caused through business practice. Because of this, big business have found time to adopt “environmental safeguards” to cover up environmental damage through “national parks." Siding with big business, “Some of the most powerful forces,” is one of the best ways of solving environmental problems (Diamond 16). Big business has large amounts of money that could be invested in new forms of cars that could be completely electric or have clean

In his essay titled “Climate of Denial”, Al Gore, a well known environmental advocate and former vice president, verifies the reality of climate change and global warming. The piece is an attack on corrupt companies and news outlets that attempt to persuade the public that global warming is not a critical issue. Gore also earnestly conveys our environment’s current state and offers possible solutions that would increase awareness about global warming and begin to revert the planet back to a healthier, more sustainable state. The overarching purpose of Gore’s work is to call attention to the widespread climate change that is occurring. However, he also focuses on the corruption and bias within the media, and their attempts to conceal the truth about global warming. Writing to those who are conflicted about who to believe, he makes a valid argument that defends the beliefs of he and his fellow activists and encourages others to become more active in the climate change issue.

The world economy is a very complex system; in the system harmful externalities disrupt capital flows and determine economic productivity. Most notable of these externalities is inadvertent global warming. Spending towards research and regulation of climate change at both the national and international level are very important in determining current and future business trends. Economists and scientists worldwide continuously debate the pros and cons of emissions reduction and what consequences can quickly follow. Though many have different views on the issue, all can agree that the immediate and long term effects of climate change have become an economic matter of paramount importance. The sweeping impact from climate change will have important fiscal, financial, and macroeconomic ramifications that influence global commerce standards.

Capitalizing on Environmental Injustice: The Polluter-industrial Complex in the Age of Globalization by Daniel Faber

Prior to 1994, trade and the environment were two entirely separate issues. There were no environmental regulations found in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) or in the Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Upon the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) environmental concerns of North America as a whole were for the first time provided within a side agreement to the NAFTA. Finally there is a trade agreement that recognizes the concerns of North American citizens to maintain a healthy, sustainable environment, where the damaging effects of free trade could be minimized. The NAFTA entailed provisions for stricter environmental regulations

“The fact of the matter is that today, stuff-selling mega-corporations have a huge influence on our daily lives. And because of the competitive nature of our global economy, these corporations are generally only concerned with one thing…the bottom line. That is, maximizing profit, regardless of the social or environmental costs.” —David Suzuki

The book is saturated in a wealth of new information that can be intimidating at first go, as it may be hard to follow for readers who don’t have much background knowledge on the topic. With that being said, Barlow’s ability to section the book into four topics allows for an effortless flow, while helping readers follow and understand her points more clearly. There are sections in the book where some arguments regarding big corporation conservations efforts were dismissed. Although minor, a biased undertone was fostered in these moments, making the arguments less

In the novel This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate, author Naomi Klein argues that climate change is an inevitable crisis leading toward disaster. She discusses the urgent need to shift towards renewable energy and the need to move away from a "savagely unjust economic system,” that has led our economy towards to extractivism(15).

To cut costs, companies relocate their factories to areas with minimal pollution regulations to produce more with lower prices. Without tariffs, “trade without borders” become more much accessible and gratifying multibillion dollar corporations. Free trade agreements such as NAFTA and WTO do not consider the ecosystem and thus, endanger biodiversity and vital natural resources. Globalexchange.org states, the creation of free trade agreements imperil “global diversity by accelerating the spread of genetically engineered crops, … and erodes the public’s ability to protect our planet for future generations.” All in all, the absence of environmental regulations in free trade agreements severely damage the biosphere.

The industrial revolution in the 1800s enhanced the lives of the American citizens. No longer were cultivation and farming a chief concern; instead, manufacturing and machinery were the major improvements of that time. Still today, big corporations are looking for the next big thing that could aid citizens in their everyday lives. What is often ignored, however, are the environmental factors that are being affected by the decisions made by these industries. Harmful acid rain, smog, and buried nuclear wastes diseased the Northern continent where some places were deemed uninhabitable to the public because of the threatening health risks. Environmental laws and agencies were then created in the 1970s to shift the impact that corporations have on the environment. The unchecked power that big corporations have exhausted has enhanced the decline of environmental stability and initiated many territorial restrictions due to the careless actions of the company.

Klein work is indeed exemplary. It is important to understand that denying climate change is profitable, provided that it remains profitable, the environment degrades. The most astonishing reality is that the continuous environmental degradation can propel it to a point of no return. It is important for governments as well as private organizations to take a voluntary lead in addressing these contemporary issues. Klein adds that “In the face of an absolutely unprecedented emergency, society has no choice but to take dramatic action to avert a collapse of civilization. Either we will change our ways and build an entirely new kind of global society, or they will be changed for

“Climate change has revealed this underlying dynamic in its starkest form: the potentially cataclysmic trade-off between economic and environmental well-being,” Christopher Wright and Daniel Nyberg remark in their book Climate Change, Capitalism, and Corporations. [HOOK]. Indeed, human beings are risking the whole planet existence by stepping more forward in the endless path of economic growth [CONNECTION]. In her book, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. Climate Change, Naomi Klein, a Canadian filmmaker, social activist, award-winning journalist, and author known for her political analysis and criticism of capitalism, explains why capitalists are denying the obvious fact of climate crisis and how they are procrastinating the appropriate

‘Is climate change the new apocalypse? Are Western Nations too influenced by capitalism to effectively deal with the problem?’

When looking at the corporate businesses and the undoing of the human habitat; the United Nations has sanctioned many organizations to track climate change such as the UNEP, the World Meteorological Organization and the IPCC. Since the mid-eighties, these agencies have monitored the changes, yet have failed to convey the significance. Studies done by these agencies have concluded that the last fifty years are attributable to human activities and big corporations which lead to the changing in the compositions of the atmosphere throughout the 21st century (Saltori). These activities that are mentioned are those by means of businesses that grew into national conglomerates. Concurrent with business growth, the greenhouse gas emissions have grown seventy percent from 1970 to 2004 (Lehner). Recent studies have shown that 122 corporations produce eighty percent of greenhouse gases (IPCC). The climate is going to drastically change the world forever, but at whose expense? What exactly does the political eminence of these companies have

The economy today runs on an antiquated ritual of exploiting, plundering, devastation, and manipulation of land for material wealth, profiting the wealthy and condemning the poor. This mindset is no more sophisticated than feudalism, a system so bad it had to be outlawed along with witchcraft. The idea that exploitation of land is justified has brought plastics to the ocean and leveled rainforests. Large corporations have grown larger by manufacturing and production, depleting the planet’s resources in the process. Now, companies must make a combined effort to put the environment first, before profit. Because of their harmful practices, consumers have the right to know where products come from, how they’re made, and the impact on the environment. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the large corporations to change their harmful practices, to make strides towards ending climate change and use clean, sustainable methods.