AngsterMusic t1_ix9ry8s wrote
This is the only way ocean pollution will ever have a dent put into it, if someone can find a way to make a profit off of it.
FlatulentWallaby t1_ix9t82n wrote
Climate change in general. Once EVs are more profitable than gas cars you'll see every fossil fuel company in the world switch to "green" and pretend they always were about the environment.
AngsterMusic t1_ix9udfc wrote
I hate that this is so true.
LunarBiker t1_ixc5m1l wrote
Or perhaps it’s a good thing; at least it’s not some ideological difference we’re having, which would’ve been a much harder problem to solve.
systemofaderp t1_ixdffwe wrote
Yeah, like for example the ideological difference of putting monetary profits of a few wealthy individuals over the survival of life on the planet as we know it. Totally fine
LunarBiker t1_ixdfrh4 wrote
Except it isn’t exactly a few wealthy billionaires is it, it’s almost everyone in the global north including most likely both of us, and our comfortable western lifestyles.
p_nut268 t1_ix9xl2p wrote
They do that now. The fucking Canadian oil sands companies are making a huge promotional push about how they are on the verge of being carbon neutral. Which is straight up fucking bullshit. Yet here we are.
DadOfFan t1_ixa4nog wrote
greenwashing is so common, there is a push in Australia to make it an offence to claim to be green without providing science based proof of the claims.
AdvertisingFree4150 t1_ixddjc1 wrote
thats awesome. its seems like most companies planting a couple tree then saying theyre carbon neutral.
Flash635 t1_ixaewp5 wrote
Carbon neutral is just planting trees to offset how much carbon your business is responsible for. It doesn't actually reduce carbon output.
OriginalCompetitive t1_ixag6ex wrote
Hence the word “offset.”
PhiloPhys t1_ix9wzte wrote
Having a company which finds a profit in the cleanup is actually an incentive to continue the same system of plastic production. More business means more growth which is “good” under our current model.
The only way the ocean pollution will actually be cleaned is by a concerted effort to stop the system of pollution and a government or community project to clean the ocean as thoroughly as we can.
Our current system will provide no real solutions and we shouldn’t expect it to. It got us into this mess and it’s principles are not geared to get us out.
To hell with the for profit model. To hell with capitalism. Our eco-future is anti capitalist.
DadOfFan t1_ixa5ddw wrote
while I agree with your sentiment, practicalities mean it wont happen anytime soon.
There is a great company doing river cleanups to prevent the plastic from even reaching the ocean.
https://theoceancleanup.com/rivers/
Their model does rely on a steady "stream" of rubbish coming down the river however I think pragmatically that will happen for many years to come until all people either learn to conserve or to be blunt die.
pannous t1_ixhegk9 wrote
Yeah imagine this company becoming so profitable and powerful that they will lobby against any legislation protecting the ocean from garbage injection.
eldenrim t1_ixtgyqy wrote
It would be more efficient for this company to get plastic from smaller, more local sources than just scouring the ocean, right? So in theory they should be lobbying for access to people's recycling bin to get plastic easily.
fatbunyip t1_ix9wp1n wrote
If the externalities were included in the cost of most polluting activities (even partially) this would be a lot easier.
CalabreseAlsatian t1_ixa3j89 wrote
I love it when people use the term “externalities”. Such a good economic term to cover an insanely large range of “extras”.
STYL3D t1_ixa3vj2 wrote
Unfortunately, capitalism's global dominance means 100s of millions need to starve because everyone having food isn't profitable, and the earth should be left to die unless we make it profitable to save it. Almost every modern issue could be solved, but it all requires money, and oil tycoons need that money to buy big houses, and governments need to fund militaries. Imagine how much time wasted on this technology so that it would be profitable
arcytech77 t1_ixacgjn wrote
Green technology certainly needed time to mature into a level of efficiency that at least pays back the carbon tax of producing the piece of hardware comprising the renewable energy source, e.g. a solar panel. And as it happens, tech that's more efficient tends to be more profitable.
But to your point, what would have been better is if big oil and other legacy stakeholders did not actively try to fight the transition to green-tech in the form of market-adoption disinformation campaigns and stifling investments into green R&D from as early on as the 1980s. And more recently by lobbying politicians to allow them into more ecologically protected areas.
They have literally paid money to politicians to keep things the same instead of just letting technology evolve the way it would naturally with regard to supply and demand. The problem hasn't really been the capitalist model, imo, it's the people who are morally willing to cut corners to make an extra buck with less effort.
dataminer-x t1_ix9zyof wrote
It's interesting, but whatever works.
They're trying something similar in the Florida Keys for the lionfish invasion. Restaurants will buy them from you (usually from divers) and put them on the menu. Free to take any time, even (especially) in protected waters.
IsildursBane20 t1_ixchdsn wrote
It takes money to run a business like this, it’s fine if it’s profitable
kaminaowner2 t1_ixfx47y wrote
We already put a huge dent in it last year, we dragged like 10% or some crazy amount out. Also there’s less than what was previously believed leading some to believe something might be consuming it. (Something we’ve seen in genetically made creatures but never in nature) the oceans are currently more at risk from climate change than plastic (small comfort)
Biobot775 t1_ixgwru0 wrote
In a related vein, I've been saying for a long time that out landfills will be out future mines. All the metal and organics we want are already in there!
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