Politics and business : it’s a marriage as old as humans’ attempts at social organisation. In the US that marriage has just gone into an even tighter embrace, with the US Supreme Court opening the door to unlimited campaign contributions by corporate interests. Putting aside discussion about the perceived “rightness” of the decision or even any basic common sense in the justices’ declaring corporate entities citizens of the nation, the decision naturally paves the way for a buildup in special interest manouvering, ranging from blunt instrument bludgeoning to razor sharp surgical intervention and from corporate heavy petting in the corridors of power to a full-on orgy of spending within the Beltway and throughout seats of authority big and small.
That much is clear. What I’m more interested in is how this potential blow to US democracy might actually turn out to be good for the planet. Yes, that thought surprised me, too. But consider for a moment some of the ideas put forward by “business greens.” Consultants and a small but growing number of executives are looking at ecology through the lens of hard-headed business and coming up with surprising yet pertinently common sense suggestions : go green not because you like trees and polar bears but because your bottom line needs help. Getting out of the red and into the green might be an appropriate metaphor.
Consider this scenario: companies en-masse wake up to the fact that saving energy and limiting waste equals saving money, which – lo and behold – enhances shareholder value. Shareholders (from the institutions to individuals) press company executives to use their newly gained ability to legally buy, I’m sorry, contribute to the campaign funds of politicians who then push through legislation requiring corporations to, say, save energy or maybe look for alternatives to the increasingly expensive fossil fuels – not in some nebulous “national interest” but because it’s damn expensive not to. Or how about investing in wind farms (campaign contributions from “windy” states), solar energy (that would be, for argument’s sake, Texas and Nevada), wave energy (last time I visited the Pacific North-West there was plenty of it about)… You get the point. Special interest is a double edged sword in the hands of fallible individuals. All that’s required is an adjustment of focus and a clear understanding of how energy innovation can become an economic driver for the entire century.
What’s required is business leadership of the sort of calibre we have not seen for a while, perhaps ever.
Naturally, the door has just been opened just as wide to special interests in the oil and gas business or even marginal farmland owners desperate to paint their trucks greener than green as they drive their genetically modified soya beans to the ethanol depot but that’s the fascinating nature of democracy. It has always been the case of squeaky wheels getting the grease. Except now it seems the greasing of wheels has become a whole lot easier. Maybe it’s an opportunity to do some good. Or maybe the tragedy of the commons is about to ensue. In any event, it’s not going to be a boring year.
