I come across several articles each day that cause me to adjust my position on where we’re going as a civilization. Here’s one on BP, peak oil, and climate change that offers an interesting nuance, concluding with the following:
As author Naomi Klein outlines in an article written in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy last fall, it has become necessary to challenge the business model that thinks destroying the earth’s climate in the name of profit is permissible. “These companies have shown that they are willing to burn five times as much carbon as the most conservative estimates say is compatible with a livable planet,” Klein said. “We’ve done the math, and we simply can’t let them.”
I never thought of saying that the greed of the oil companies and their icy indifference to the health and safety of Earth’s inhabitants was “impermissible,” though that’s a heck of a good concept. I guess we’re dealing with a shade of meaning here that draws the distinction between moral and legal permissibility. I.e., a large and growing number of people agree with me and say that the oil companies’ behavior is morally unacceptable, and that, as a result of our efforts, this will translate to a day on which it becomes legally impermissible.
Let’s hope that day comes soon.
