Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Herb Rothschild Jr.: Reason to believe ... Family Fest offers back-to-school giveaway ... Ticket Availabity ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: Reason to believe ... Family Fest offers back-to-school giveaway ... Ticket Availabity ... GUEST OPINION Guest opinion: Headed toward the capitalist cliff Comment By Gerald Cavanaugh DailyTidings.com By Gerald Cavanaugh Posted Jul. 10, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Gerald Cavanaugh Posted Jul. 10, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News In his essay, “Capitalism can stop climate change.” (Tidings, June 23), Bill Eacho claims to have found the solution to that looming existential threat. He finds it in, of all things, the very economic system — capitalism — that the overwhelming number of concerned scientists and informed citizens have concluded is, in fact, responsible, by way of its overwhelming production of greenhouse gasses, for the emergence and growth of the increasingly impossible to deny threat to human civilization globally. His solution: “Harness the power of the market and create a global uniform price on carbon.” Notice his preferred solution — “a revenue-neutral pollution fee on major greenhouse-gas emitters” in America. In the Never/Never Land of Free Market capitalist thinkers, all we have to do — even if unilaterally, without even attempting a global remedy — is monkey around with non-punitive fees on domestic greenhouse gas emitters. Success, the professor of economics proclaims, will follow globally. Everything that the good professor suggests reminds me of the contrary opinion of the great Arundhati Roy, who writes in her recent book, “Capitalism: A Ghost Story,” “Capitalism is destroying the planet. The two old tricks that dug it out of past crises — War and Shopping — simply will not work.” Compare as well, Robert L. Nadeau, in his book “Environmental Endgame: Mainstream Economics, Ecological disaster, and Human Survival” (2006): “If environmental resources were unlimited, environmental sinks inexhaustible, and environmental impacts of global economic activities generally benign, the ‘usefulness’ of neoclassical (mainstream, capitalist) economics as a heuristic (tool) in managing market economies could be regarded as sufficient justification for its widespread application. But since none of these conditions apply, the theory can no longer be regarded as useful even in utterly pragmatic, utilitarian terms because it fails to meet what must now be considered the fundamental criterion for the usefulness of any economic theory, (namely) the extent to which the theory allows us to coordinate experience with economic reality in ways that can achieve the goal of a sustainable global environment.” In short, capitalist economics has led us to the edge of the existential cliff. To continue is suicide. Gerald Cavanaugh lives in Ashland. By Gerald Cavanaugh DailyTidings.com By Gerald Cavanaugh Posted Jul. 10, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501