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STYL3D t1_ixa3vj2 wrote

Reply to comment by AngsterMusic in This Startup Turned 1 Million Pounds of Ocean Plastic Into a Highly Profitable Business by RedditModsAreAPlague

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

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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.

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