Monday, November 05, 2007

Saving the Planet for Profits


I am not going green until green is cleaned of fake science and socialist authoritarianism. Remaining a conservationist suits me fine. Besides, the idea of clear cutting tropical forests to grow biodiesel because biodiesel helps save the planet is among the most stupid lines of reasoning I have ever heard.

Speaking of intellectually vacuous stupidity, NBC places candles around their studio coverage of Sunday Night Football last night. It is some completely disingenuous example designed to show how we viewers should use less energy to be more eco-friendly. Meanwhile, the complex electronics required for a national television broadcast are all fully powered up and humming away. More importantly the advertising signs are brightly lit in the background. Self denial is one thing but ad revenue is another.

You see General Electric, the parent company of NBC, is fully on board with green marketing as long they believe it will make money. And by make money they mean make money for the company as some GE workers point out.

Screw That Bulb: Save the environment … or save a U.S. job? That’s the choice General Electric is forcing on U.S. consumers and its own workers. GE is promoting new, energy saving light bulbs known as compact fluorescents, or CFLs. These bulbs last longer and use less energy than the typical incandescent bulbs found in most U.S. homes – but can cost up to 10 times the price.

GE is asking consumers and its employees to sign a pledge to “go green” and start purchasing the CFL light bulbs, which are imported from China. The problem is that each pledge leads to the loss of jobs in U.S. lighting plants. GE is actually asking workers in its lighting plants to pledge to put themselves out of a job!

Let me be clear. The planet does not need saving. The planet is just fine. Stop watching television, go for a drive and observe for yourself. Nature is beautiful, healthy and thriving almost everywhere except maybe on the deforestation diesel plantations. And yes, it’s November, the leaves are supposed to be falling off the trees. It’s not a sign of the impending breakdown of the biosphere.