It's the truth that very few want to hear, let alone do anything about. By the time the mass of people as well the institutions that control the levers come to their senses, it will be too late. I give humanity a 99% likelihood of complete extinction. 1% chance that a few thousand may survive.
This is a post from Philip Wilson (philip@pwarb.com>who), for some reason, couldn't access comments:
Many of the social ills associated with big business arise from corporate law, which creates a legal duty to make profit for shareholders. The lying and misrepresentation of the fossil fuel industries, ‘the most serious crime of the post-WWII era anywhere in the world’ according to Al Gore, nevertheless has the confidence of officers and investors, who presumably see it as routinely untruthful like any other public relations or marketing. Appeals to their better nature for more social responsibility, or the punitive notion that banking and insurance services be denied them, are simply not in the rules of the game.
In 2002 the American lawyer Robert Hinkley proposed adding the following to the provision that officers of corporations have a duty to make money for shareholders ‘… but not at the expense of the environment, human rights, public safety, the communities in which the corporation operates or the dignity of its employees.’ Directors could be made personally responsible, as they already are for material falsehood, obliging them to take a precautionary approach.
Presumably such a change would have to be enacted in scores of legal jurisdictions at the same time – a worthy cause for Mr Guterres, perhaps.
Hinkley, R.C. (2002). How corporate law inhibits social responsibility: A corporate attorney proposes a Code for Corporate Citizenship in state law. Common Dreams, Portland ME, 19 January 2002. https://tinyurl.com/5fa6v48y
Many of the social ills associated with big business arise from corporate law, which creates a legal duty to make profit for shareholders. The lying and misrepresentation of the fossil fuel industries, ‘the most serious crime of the post-WWII era anywhere in the world’ according to Al Gore, nevertheless has the confidence of officers and investors, who presumably see it as routinely untruthful like any other public relations or marketing. Appeals to their better nature for more social responsibility, or the punitive notion that banking and insurance services should be denied to them, are simply not in the rules of the game.
In 2002 the American lawyer Robert Hinkley proposed adding the following to the provision that officers of corporations have a duty to make money for shareholders ‘… but not at the expense of the environment, human rights, public safety, the communities in which the corporation operates or the dignity of its employees.’ Directors could be made personally responsible, as they already are for material falsehood, obliging them to take a precautionary approach.
Presumably such a change would have to be enacted in scores of legal jurisdictions at the same time – a worthy cause for Mr Guterres, perhaps.
Hinkley, R.C. (2002). How corporate law inhibits social responsibility: A corporate attorney proposes a Code for Corporate Citizenship in state law. Common Dreams, Portland ME, 19 January 2002. https://tinyurl.com/5fa6v48y
Fortunately there are some who I think would be up to this task - but they are few and far between. We had better hope for their vigilance. I think this is essential - a few highest-level people from these sectors facing the music would seriously change the discussion internally about risk - the cat would really be amongst the pigeons. If that does not convert their vision of ever more production into a sense of liability, I am not sure what will...
The only thing that really matters now is planting trees… billions of trees, by everyone, all over the world … by billions of people who don’t even garden or exercise.
The only task I see from the book is planting the right trees in the right direction lace This really is the (last call) to save the earth for others. retired gardener who re wilds… no more blathering we have to go wild thx… t
You could not be more spot on Bill! Thank you for putting this out. As you rightly suggest, the oil and gas sector have an utterly delusional sense that they can continue doing what they are doing and get away with it - something the lethality of their acts will not come back to haunt them, either as individuals or as impacts on their loved ones. My hope though is that they will have to face the music, and soon! Just as a military commander who oversees massacres by reckless troops, must face justice due to command responsibility - it is long since time that the leadership of these companies - for it is they who make decisions about future investment, and indeed profit from them - their facilitators (such as lawyers, PR agents and the like), and the leadership of those key unbending mega-investors, whose efforts sustain this horror show, must face crimes against humanity charges - for that is what they are wilfully complicit in, and every day that passes, that fact becomes all the more undeniable! See you (them) in court, as the saying goes! Thank you for your posts meantime!
All I can say is that at least we know where we stand. These guys are the enemies of all life on Earth.
It's the truth that very few want to hear, let alone do anything about. By the time the mass of people as well the institutions that control the levers come to their senses, it will be too late. I give humanity a 99% likelihood of complete extinction. 1% chance that a few thousand may survive.
This is a post from Philip Wilson (philip@pwarb.com>who), for some reason, couldn't access comments:
Many of the social ills associated with big business arise from corporate law, which creates a legal duty to make profit for shareholders. The lying and misrepresentation of the fossil fuel industries, ‘the most serious crime of the post-WWII era anywhere in the world’ according to Al Gore, nevertheless has the confidence of officers and investors, who presumably see it as routinely untruthful like any other public relations or marketing. Appeals to their better nature for more social responsibility, or the punitive notion that banking and insurance services be denied them, are simply not in the rules of the game.
In 2002 the American lawyer Robert Hinkley proposed adding the following to the provision that officers of corporations have a duty to make money for shareholders ‘… but not at the expense of the environment, human rights, public safety, the communities in which the corporation operates or the dignity of its employees.’ Directors could be made personally responsible, as they already are for material falsehood, obliging them to take a precautionary approach.
Presumably such a change would have to be enacted in scores of legal jurisdictions at the same time – a worthy cause for Mr Guterres, perhaps.
Hinkley, R.C. (2002). How corporate law inhibits social responsibility: A corporate attorney proposes a Code for Corporate Citizenship in state law. Common Dreams, Portland ME, 19 January 2002. https://tinyurl.com/5fa6v48y
Indeed Simon. I don't think things could be any more grim. But we will keep fighting.
Indeed Robert. I hope you are wrong, but suspect there is a good chance you will be right.
Many of the social ills associated with big business arise from corporate law, which creates a legal duty to make profit for shareholders. The lying and misrepresentation of the fossil fuel industries, ‘the most serious crime of the post-WWII era anywhere in the world’ according to Al Gore, nevertheless has the confidence of officers and investors, who presumably see it as routinely untruthful like any other public relations or marketing. Appeals to their better nature for more social responsibility, or the punitive notion that banking and insurance services should be denied to them, are simply not in the rules of the game.
In 2002 the American lawyer Robert Hinkley proposed adding the following to the provision that officers of corporations have a duty to make money for shareholders ‘… but not at the expense of the environment, human rights, public safety, the communities in which the corporation operates or the dignity of its employees.’ Directors could be made personally responsible, as they already are for material falsehood, obliging them to take a precautionary approach.
Presumably such a change would have to be enacted in scores of legal jurisdictions at the same time – a worthy cause for Mr Guterres, perhaps.
Hinkley, R.C. (2002). How corporate law inhibits social responsibility: A corporate attorney proposes a Code for Corporate Citizenship in state law. Common Dreams, Portland ME, 19 January 2002. https://tinyurl.com/5fa6v48y
It's time for petrocommunism. These companies have lost the public trust and must be seized. https://thespouter.substack.com/p/the-solution-to-petrocapitalism-is
Fortunately there are some who I think would be up to this task - but they are few and far between. We had better hope for their vigilance. I think this is essential - a few highest-level people from these sectors facing the music would seriously change the discussion internally about risk - the cat would really be amongst the pigeons. If that does not convert their vision of ever more production into a sense of liability, I am not sure what will...
The only thing that really matters now is planting trees… billions of trees, by everyone, all over the world … by billions of people who don’t even garden or exercise.
The only task I see from the book is planting the right trees in the right direction lace This really is the (last call) to save the earth for others. retired gardener who re wilds… no more blathering we have to go wild thx… t
You could not be more spot on Bill! Thank you for putting this out. As you rightly suggest, the oil and gas sector have an utterly delusional sense that they can continue doing what they are doing and get away with it - something the lethality of their acts will not come back to haunt them, either as individuals or as impacts on their loved ones. My hope though is that they will have to face the music, and soon! Just as a military commander who oversees massacres by reckless troops, must face justice due to command responsibility - it is long since time that the leadership of these companies - for it is they who make decisions about future investment, and indeed profit from them - their facilitators (such as lawyers, PR agents and the like), and the leadership of those key unbending mega-investors, whose efforts sustain this horror show, must face crimes against humanity charges - for that is what they are wilfully complicit in, and every day that passes, that fact becomes all the more undeniable! See you (them) in court, as the saying goes! Thank you for your posts meantime!