COM 0493.136 2000-2002 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Page 3 of 4 Diamond. "But this is not just a governmental issue. It's also an issue of business law and policy." He said that recent corporate scandals-including Enron-demonstrate how the interests of the corporate elite can be at odds with the interests of the rest of the company. The elite cannot be insulated forever against the damage that it causes, however. If nothing else, Enron proved that the actions of the elite could bring down not only the company, but also the elite itself. "What's good for the elite in the short run is likely to be bad for the rest of society in the short run," said Diamond, "and bad for everybody in the long run." Regional disagreements also need to be resolved. What's good for one area may be bad for another. If Iowa farmers dump toxic runoff into the water table, the water ends up in the Mississippi River and then in the Gulf of Mexico. Fishermen in the Gulf lose income because of farmers in the Midwest. The third type of clash is between generations. "What's good for us may be bad for our children-if we draw down our environmental capital, making it unavailable to them," said Diamond. He cited aquifers, forests, fisheries, and topsoil as assets that we are exploiting too quickly. This kind of unsustainable consumption, he warned, is "ultimately what did in all the past societies that failed." CLIFF WASSMANN AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS/PAT 5ULLIVAN Easter Island monoliths and Enron logo: icons of fallen cultures. To resolve these conflicts between classes, regions, and generations, Diamond urged that governments begin by removing subsidies that reward people for environmentally destructive behavior. "Much local development in the United States involves governments supporting developers by putting in roads and water. Much agriculture in the United States-and most major fisheries in the world-would not be economical without government subsidies." He further suggested that governments subsidize environmentally friendly services instead. "There are two big things today that might make one want to jump out the window or decide not to have children," said Diamond. "Today, there are far more people alive with far more destructive power than at any time in the past. Easter Islanders managed to ruin their environment with 10,000 people and stone tools. Today, there are six billion with metal tools." The other cause for pessimism today is globalization. "When Easter Island collapsed, it didn't affect anybody else in the world," said Diamond. "Today, when the most remote country in the world collapses, say Afghanistan or Somalia, it's not just a local collapse. Because of globalization, every part of the world is connected to another part through diseases, terrorism, etc. The risk we face today is not like Easter Island-but a collapse of global society." 9/16/02