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This is how industrial capitalism is profitable: by socializing the cost of its pollution. If chemical companies had to pay for their damage they wouldn’t exist
by DiNovi 5y ago
This is how industrial capitalism is profitable: by socializing the cost of its pollution. If chemical companies had to pay for their damage they wouldn’t exist
- fighterpilot 5y agoChemical companies would still exist, they would just be less profitable and their produce would be more expensive if the social costs were fully internalized (as they should be and currently aren't).
- thereisnospork 5y agoYou say that like ridding the continent of malaria was a bad thing. Lots of people owe their lives to DDT.
- DiNovi 5y agoIs the mass amount of pollution that will infect animals through our food chain and lead to many animals and humans lives being stunted for centuries worth it? Just because a chemical is a solution to a problem doesnt absolve it from the numerous other problems it creates for centuries after
- DuskStar 5y agoYou say that like socialized industries haven't had just as large of disasters, or that on net DDT has been bad for the US/world. Everything is a tradeoff - how many kids with malaria is a bald eagle worth?
- throwawayfrauds 5y agoWell, there are less than 500,000 bald eagles, and approximately 2 billion kids, so 4,000 kids per bald eagle?
- porknubbins 5y agoMalaria hasn’t been endemic here for probably 100 years. We poisoned eagles because it was cheap and legal to dump into the ocean. How is there a tradeoff?
- wyager 5y agoThe Chernobyl disaster is a classic example of capitalism socializing pollution costs.
- AnthonyMouse 5y agoPresumably you're being sarcastic, since Chernobyl happened under the communist USSR?
- missedthecue 5y agoThe Aral Sea is a perfect example of this