Thursday, November 27, 2008

Industry, Ecology and Economics

Oceans are acidifying much faster than predicted by climate models. Taken with the Artic ice disappearing at alarming rates and recent evidence of temperature changes in the Antarctic, could the danger of climate change actually be worse than the models predict? Our planet is a remarkably complex, closed system. It's also one that we don't fully understand - the number of potential variables effecting climate are astronomical. We could be heading towards the potential collapse of Earth's ecosystems as we know them.

Are inexpensive goods at Wal-Mart worth this, or is their true cost being shifted towards externalities hidden off the world economy's balance-sheet? We will not be able to secure the future of our Earth habitat as long as economics is reductive, assuming closed systems, and allowing business and industry fail to pay the true costs of their profits.

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