Technology, Production, and Economies of Scale: Capitalist solution should emerge
I would just comment, using your point as a springboard, that environmentalism is turning capitalist perspectives upside-down. That something is "too expensive" is a strange excuse, given the notion of economy of scale.
Indeed, economy of scale is part of what green advocates are depending on: As the technology is implemented more frequently, its costs will come down. This is a basic tenet of capitalism, and if anyone doubts it, I would point to computers and networking in the internet age. Thirty years ago, the 48 kilobyte Atari 800 cost more in raw dollars than, say, a Compaq laptop with a 2.2 gigahertz processor, two gigabytes RAM, and a 160 gigabyte hard drive.
Likewise, certain challenges posed by desalination—e.g., concentrated seawater—are, theoretically, within the reach of the capitalist paradigm. That is, the market is theoretically expected to provide solutions. And people can get rich providing those solutions. At present, though, few are willing because the present capitalist method is extremely myopic. Investors wish to maximize their profit in the short term instead of reinforce the security of their investments over the long term. Energy resources, food distribution, and the ongoing economic troubles are the foremost examples of what this shortsighted application of capitalism brings; quite clearly, though, prominent and influential capitalists are not yet ready to abandon this ill-conceived harvest.
But in the end, yes, the market is expected to provide these solutions. We should no more wait until the oil is gone, for example, to devise a solution any more than a farmer should wait until the soil is barren to rotate the crop. Half the world faces potable water shortages; over a billion have no access to potable water. What is the threshold before a functional majority decides this is a problem that must be addressed?
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Notes:
"Economies of Scale". Tutor2u. (n.d.) Tutor2u.com. April 1, 2010. http://tutor2u.net/business/gcse/production_economies_of_scale.htm
Lucysnow said:
I would just comment, using your point as a springboard, that environmentalism is turning capitalist perspectives upside-down. That something is "too expensive" is a strange excuse, given the notion of economy of scale.
Indeed, economy of scale is part of what green advocates are depending on: As the technology is implemented more frequently, its costs will come down. This is a basic tenet of capitalism, and if anyone doubts it, I would point to computers and networking in the internet age. Thirty years ago, the 48 kilobyte Atari 800 cost more in raw dollars than, say, a Compaq laptop with a 2.2 gigahertz processor, two gigabytes RAM, and a 160 gigabyte hard drive.
Likewise, certain challenges posed by desalination—e.g., concentrated seawater—are, theoretically, within the reach of the capitalist paradigm. That is, the market is theoretically expected to provide solutions. And people can get rich providing those solutions. At present, though, few are willing because the present capitalist method is extremely myopic. Investors wish to maximize their profit in the short term instead of reinforce the security of their investments over the long term. Energy resources, food distribution, and the ongoing economic troubles are the foremost examples of what this shortsighted application of capitalism brings; quite clearly, though, prominent and influential capitalists are not yet ready to abandon this ill-conceived harvest.
But in the end, yes, the market is expected to provide these solutions. We should no more wait until the oil is gone, for example, to devise a solution any more than a farmer should wait until the soil is barren to rotate the crop. Half the world faces potable water shortages; over a billion have no access to potable water. What is the threshold before a functional majority decides this is a problem that must be addressed?
____________________
Notes:
"Economies of Scale". Tutor2u. (n.d.) Tutor2u.com. April 1, 2010. http://tutor2u.net/business/gcse/production_economies_of_scale.htm