Re "the tension between the Entrepreneur and the Ecologist"
I do not think that this polarisation helps. It reinforces the notion that
the general public are innocent and it is "they" (the entrepreneurs and
corporations) who do the polluting and destroying. Of course producers have
a responsibility but so do the consumers (the general public). If it is
"them" (entrepreneurs etc) that are the problem, the only response is to
regulate their behaviour (very necessary in my view). We might just manage
a globalisation of regulation but the Bush stand on Kyoto for example
suggests this may be some way of.
If however the consumer accepts his/her role in the support and
encouragement of these organisations (by buying the goods) then he/she
accepts the responsibility for the environmental damage. But who wants to
do this when he/she can blame "them" instead.
If consumers, in choosing what to consume, act according to
environmentally sound practices then the problem of the producers
evaporates. (But as a counter example, In the UK we have recently
introduced legislation on the well- being of farmed pigs (rightly so IMO)
because as a society we claim to be interested in animal welfare , on the
other hand we continue to buy cheaper imported pork which happens not to be
subject to these regulations. Regrettably we do not seem to be taking
personal resonsibility for animal welfare but hide instead behind a
"concerned" public face )
Of course their must be a balance struck between regulation and individual
choice but we will not reach it by concerning ourselves only with "them".
(Perhaps it is less taxing to lobby for a change in the law than to
re-educate an entire society.)
Pushed to the limit we have to decide whether we prefer 'Good" actions to
come about through:
a) expressing the collective will through legislation and its global
enforcement
b) individuals taking responsibility for their actions.
This I think is a very big question indeed.
A secondary and interesting question might be: If the globalisation of
commerce threatens the autonomy of local cultures what does the
globalisation of legislation do?
Kind regards Paul K
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