Monday, November 24, 2008

In the name of the game

while global carbon markets slowly self organize along lines of maximizing profit, it is important to realize that as human beings we have no need to be driven, as automatons, by the blind laws of economics.  Whoever decided that profit maximization was a legitimate human and institutional goal?  

Why wouldn't we, as a species decide that ensuring human health and well being, along with the well being of the planet, are in fact socio-economic priorities?  It seems there needs to be more involvement in the creation of standards, even regulations, that put people and the planet first, especially in the framework of environmental policy and economics (i.e. ecosystem service oriented projects, such as carbon sequestration).  Rather than follow the blind path to further exploitation of people and our natural capital, I see this as an opportunity for pure interaction; pure in the sense that we have our motives straight, and interaction in the sense that we know the consequences of our actions.