E.5 How does its need to focus on short-term profitability affect capitalism's ability to deal with the ecological crisis?
Harmful environmental effects such as pollution, global warming, ozone
depletion, and destruction of wildlife habitat are referred to in
economics as "externalities," which are not counted as "costs of
production" in standard methods of accounting because they must be borne
by everyone in the society affected by them. Since their costs are thus
spread out over the whole society, externalities can be ignored by
capitalists when planning future production. But this means that they
will be ignored, since competition forces firms to cut as many
costs as possible and concentrate on short-term profits.
Here's an example (paraphrased from Noam Chomsky): Suppose there
are 3 automobile companies, X, Y, and Z, which are competitive (not
conspiring to fix prices) and which exist in a typical capitalist
society where there is no democratic community control of the economy.
Then suppose that company X invests in the project of developing a
non-polluting car within ten years. At the same time its competitors, Y
and Z, will be putting their resources into increasing profits and market
share in the coming days and months and over the next year. During that
period, company X will be out of luck, for it will not be able to attract
enough capital from investors to carry out its plans, since investment
will flock to the companies that are most immediately profitable. This
means that the default position under "free market" capitalism is
that the company (or country) with the lowest standards enjoys a
competitive advantage, and drags down the standards of other companies
(or countries).
The supporter of capitalism may respond by arguing that business leaders
are as able to see long-term negative environmental effects as the rest of
us. But this is to misunderstand the nature of the objection. It is not
that business leaders as individuals are any less able to see what's
happening to the environment. It is that if they want to keep their jobs
they have to do what the system requires, which is to concentrate on what
is most profitable in the short term. Thus if the president of company X
has a mystical experience of oneness with nature and starts diverting
profits into pollution control while the presidents of Y and Z continue
with business as usual, the stockholders of company X will get a new
president who is willing to focus on short-term profits like Y and Z.
In general, then, if one company tries to devote resources to develop
products or processes that are ecologically responsible, they will simply
be undercut by other companies which are not doing so (assuming such
products or processes are more expensive, as they generally are), and hence
they won't be competitive in the market. In other words, capitalism has a
built-in bias toward short-term gain, and this bias -- along with the
inherent need for growth -- means the planet will continue its free-fall
toward ecological disaster so long as capitalism exists.
“That’s a big honor,” commented Larry. “The passenger, while they were high up, threw something and hit the pilot, the seaplane went out of control, the man jumped—and then cut free his parachute, cut the sack holding the emeralds, and hid in the swamp.” “I see a light,” Sandy said as the airplane swung far out over the dark water. “A green light, but the hydroplane wouldn’t carry lights.” "No, no; it's a good deal, but it ain't too much. Not that it could be more, very well," he added, and he glanced furtively at the woman within, who had stretched out on the lounge with her face to the wall. Mrs. Taylor was fanning her. But though the 21st of January was to be the day of the grand attack on the Ministry, the battle was not deferred till then. Every day was a field-day, and the sinking Minister was dogged step by step, his influence weakened by repeated divisions, and his strength worn out by the display of the inevitable approach of the catastrophe. The first decided defeat that he suffered was in the election of the Chairman of Committees. The Ministerial candidate, Giles Earle, was thrown out by a majority of two hundred and forty-two to two hundred and thirty-eight, and the Opposition candidate, Dr. Lee, was hailed by a shout that rent the House. Other close divisions followed. The fall of Walpole was now certain, and he would have consulted both his dignity and comfort in resigning at once. This was the earnest advice of his friends, but he had been too long accustomed to power to yield willingly. He was oppressed with a sense of his defeats, and the insolence of enemies whom he had so long calmly looked down upon without fear. He was growing old and wanted repose, but he still clung convulsively to his authority, though he had ceased to enjoy it. "Should think they was bride and groom, if they wasn't so old." "March them right over to that shed there," said the Major, "and the Quartermaster will issue them muskets and equipments, which you can turn over again when you reach Chattanooga. Good-by. I hope you'll have a pleasant trip. Remember me to the boys of the old brigade and tell them I'll be with them before they start out for Atlanta." The train finally halted on a side-track in the outskirts of Chattanooga, under the gigantic shadow of Lookout Mountain, and in the midst of an ocean of turmoiling activity that made the eyes ache to look upon it, and awed every one, even Si and Shorty, with a sense of incomprehensible immensity. As far as they could see, in every direction, were camps, forts, intrenchments, flags, hordes of men, trains of wagons, herds of cattle, innumerable horses, countless mules, mountains of boxes, barrels and bales. Immediately around them was a wilderness of trains, with noisy locomotives and shouting men. Regiments returning from veteran furlough, or entirely new ones, were disembarking with loud cheering, which was answered from the camps on the hillsides. On the river front steamboats were whistling and clanging their bells. "Go out and git you a rebel for yourself, if you want to know about 'em," Shorty had snapped at the Orderly. "There's plenty more up there on the hill. It's full of 'em." "Drat 'em! durn 'em!" "He's dead," said Realf. Should you leave me too, O my faithless ladie!" The odds were generally on Reuben. It was felt that a certain unscrupulousness was necessary to the job, and in that Backfield had the advantage. "Young Realf wudn't hurt a fly," his champions had to acknowledge. Though the money was with Reuben, the sympathy was mostly with Realf, for the former's dealings had scarcely made him popular. He was a hard man to his customers, he never let them owe him for grain or roots or fodder; his farm-hands, when drunk, spoke of him as a monster, and a not very tender-hearted peasantry worked itself sentimental over his treatment of his children. Caro was frightened, horrified—she broke free, and scrambled to her feet. She nearly wept, and it was clear even to his muddled brain that her invitation had been merely the result of innocence more profound than that which had stimulated her shyness. Rough seaman though he was, he was touched, and managed to soothe her, for she was too bashful and frightened to be really indignant. They walked a few yards further along the path, then at her request turned back towards Odiam. Calverley reluctantly departed on his mission, cursing the interruption that prevented his enjoying the degradation of his rival, and the baron now inquired whether Holgrave had confessed himself his villein. HoME国家产免费一级毛卡片
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