The
Church Of Business
By Bill Henderson
11 March, 2007
Countercurrents.org
Richard
Dawkins absolutely hammers religion and especially the American Taliban
in his best selling book THE GOD DELUSION. These dinosaur leaders of
Christian fundamentalism in America aren't 'christian' in their bigotry
and militarism; some are working hard to set up a fundamentalist fascist
state; and their obsession with sin, sin, sin, keeps a lot of minds
in the gutter when life - and life and death issues - shines brightly
outside the cave.
Dawkins is pitbull relentless;
he is devastatingly funny, especially if you have been raised in religion;
and he does not hold back his punches even though he has the utmost
sympathy and respect for those to whom religion, though a delusion,
has been the central guiding light of their lives. Religion is a source
of great evil in our society.
A good read; a broadside
against some truly scary bad guys - but why doesn't someone of Dawkins'
skill and clout take on The Church of Business which is doing it's best
to march humanity over the cliff of self-extinction as we speak? Why
doesn't somebody of like skill take the gloves off and detail how The
Church of Business controls our governments and our media and is presently
cynically planning the containment of emission reduction and every other
needed environmental initiative that might mean salvation for humanity
but might entail modest change to business as usual?
If greenhouse gas emissions
from our global business as usual are not reduced substantially - by
90% by 2030 in the emerging consensus - human induced climate change
will raise mean global temperature by more than two degrees from pre-industrial
times. Which could lead to the release of presently safely sequestered
carbon bombs and other positive feedback or runaway climate change.
Each additional degree of warming increases the probability of runaway
climate change. We may have already put enough carbon from fossil fuels
into the carbon cycle, given multi-decade time lags, to push the Earth's
climate into a new regime where man and virtually everything we now
recognize as nature will become extinct. We urgently need substantial
emission reduction and as quick a change to a post-carbon economy as
possible.
Right now your national business
organizations, your manufacturing, mining or chemical industry associations,
Chamber of Commerces, CEO clubs and other business lobbying organizations
are planning environmental containment strategies similar to the disinformation
war that the tobacco industry waged against cancer agencies and government.
Disinformation campaigns which were in turn used as a template by the
major energy companies and their lobbying organizations to wrongfoot
citizens and governments globally about the reality and danger of climate
change over the past several decades.
If you could gain access
to their meetings, minutes and e-mails (as happened over time to both
the previous tobacco and climate change denial campaigns) you would
find little concern about how climate change is already severely impacting
people today. You would not find the degree of concern about runaway
climate change that these supposed leaders in our communities should
have as we approach or even threaten to cross over a threshold of potential
human extinction.
What you would find is planning
(plotting) first and foremost to frustrate and contain any emission
reduction strategies that might negatively impact business as usual
today. Their goal is to contain needed environmental change and protect
their business opportunity in the future from even minor percentage
point business dislocation.
After several decades of
lobbying governments and misinforming general publics about climate
change, the national business organizations have been quick off the
mark on this latest high tide of environmental concern. They are setting
up lobbying groups with names, websites and branding hoping to convince
the public that they are aware and leading in the fight against climate
change. But, as we might find out too late if we wait for the leaked
documents and e-mails, it is abundantly clear that these new industry
lobbying groups are trying to position themselves and business in general
so that they can define the agenda. Their interest is making sure that
only the types of emission reduction goals and programs that will fit
into continuing business as usual will even make it into policy consideration..
Instead of realistic appraisal
of the dangers and wide debate about mitigation strategies, instead
of well thought out and practical planning to make a transition to a
post carbon economy as fast as possible, instead of fair, tax-shifting
carbon taxes or other such innovative programs, instead of stringent
and enlightened self-regulation where 90% reduction by 2030 might be
achievable, we are going to get more fudges like voluntary reductions,
'intensity' targets and gimmicks like free light-bulbs (as if widespread
personal carbon reduction was possible within continuing business as
usual).
Instead of rapidly organizing
to fight the battle of our lives we are going to dither and fritter
away our last chance.
These lobbying groups have
large budgets, access to media and every layer of government. We will
fail in this crucial turnaround decade because The Church of Business
is totally pre-occupied with the economy now and so controls our socio-economy
that even proper understanding and debate about our predicament and
the full range of possible solution is heretical, not to be even thought
about. The supreme doctrine of The Church of Business is that the economy
is more important than anything else. Period.
Religion is, to me if not
to Dr. Dawkins, not completely evil. The parish, the congregation, the
church has been home to the vast majority of humanity through the ages.
The majority of believers are good people, if sometimes confused or
mis-educated
Business too isn't all bad.
This wonderful fortunate world we live in owes much of it's existence
to business - Big, now global, Business and street vendor level business.
Most business people aren't bad guys. But today The Church of Business
is selfishly and ignorantly threatening life, creation, on our small
blue planet. Such unbelievably evil. Such unevolved consciousness.
Isn't the first necessary
step in protecting against the worst dangers of climate change the destruction
of The Church of Business?
bill(at)pacificfringe.net