Why do American businesses have to be repulsed by saving the environment with clean energy alternatives??!?!?!

Question

Aside from the obvious economical instability that could be created by the loss of jobs of oil workers and such why is the idea of alternative energy so repulsive? Especially when those jobs could be replaced with ones that produce clean energy, albeit that solar collection facilities, wind turbines and other such facilities require little around the clock attention.

Answer 1

Good question.

Answer 2

Amen. It might be the thing we need to boost the economy and create new jobs. But getting old men to change is tough.

Answer 3

Well the primary reason of any business is to make a profit.  If they don't make a profit they go out of business. It sounds easy to say “why doesn't some mega company go green,” but they face the same challenge a small business would face. If you ask most small businesses to put an expensive solar collector on their roof and promise it would pay itself off in 10 years, they would not be able to because of the initial cost. The same is true for a major corporation, except on a much bigger scale. Granted some companies are worse than others and would still be pouring tons of pollution into the air and water if allowed. On the other side of the coin there are companies like Boeing that covered a huge facility with tons of solar panels.  If you want to get a grasp of the challenge try to go green your self, even though some products take less work to make green, we still pay more, or maybe try to put a solar panel on you roof and see the challenges you run into.

P.S. I'm sure there is just as much ignorance where ever you are from as there is here. I have traveled the world and discovered we do not hold the monopoly on it.

Answer 4

Loss of jobs?More cost?  That's the bogeyman that the Inhofeistas are afraid of. They're too short-sighted and unimaginitive to see the great opportunities  that going "green" offers.

Answer 5

Where I work, they are the largest electricity user in Oakland county, Michigan.  They just laugh at paying 25% of our rates.  Thats right Detroit Edison gives them a sweet heart deal.

Answer 6

Because some people don't truly believe the earth needs protection, that there is no threat to the environment and humans are here to take what they need with no regard to long-term consequence.

Answer 7

The answer to your question is really complicated.  Business consumers must have enough reliable, available, and affordable energy in sufficient quantities to ensure the uninterrupted operation of the enterprise at full capacity. (The new source has to be reliable enough so that manufacturing doesn't get interrupted). The  financial health, and success of American companies – large and small – has been sustained by the virtually unrestricted consumption of low cost energy.  People used to assume the continuing availability of low cost energy resources but now people know there must be alternatives found.  Many businesses have developed plans to deal with the increasing cost of energy but there is an impact of increased energy costs on the purchasing behavior of their customers. (if their costs go up, the cost of the end product goes up, and people don't buy it as much. So then the company doesn't have as much profit to invest in a new energy source.)

The following comes into play:

1.. Basic Economics.  The price of energy has to be low enough so that the profits don't change much. (otherwise you'd have layoffs, the company can't invest in new equipment)

2.Process.  The energy production process must be  repeatable, reliable, and available for mass production, distribution, and consumption in sufficient volume to become a mainstream energy solution.

3.Existing infrastructure :We have to consider energy  handling, transportation, safety, security, availability, and reliability. We can not ignore our existing vehicle and power generation technologies. (That can create new jobs, but if companies have to change their machinery to accomodate the new way they get energy, then that can result in less profit, and they also have to be sure there are mechanics and parts to repair the new energy-related machinery)

4. Waste: Every energy process creates waste.  We need a way to quantify and qualify the type and amount of waste from each energy resource so that we can make comparisons of the resulting waste disposal challenges. (To make sure we're not getting into something even dumber)

In a  market economy, it boils down to profit. How to maintain profit levels while investing in, and switching over to, alternative energy so that firms can pay for all the changes necessary to use the new energy? Also, how much can the new energy sources produce?  Is wind  or solar power, for example going to be sufficient to run a big factory? Will it be reliable?

I think the enterprises are not repulsed by clean energy sources. They'd welcome it if they could figure out how to incorporate it and still be making a profit so that their employees and investors would all be happy. It's good to remember that people are working on developing these things but it takes time to build up whole new industries (I'm talking about alternative energy industries).  You have to have someone willing to invest gazillions into the new industries.  Then you have to have people trained for that industry.  The industries have to be earning enough profit to afford the new employees (with salaries, health plans and other benefits.).  You also have investors and advisors who are naturally reluctant to  support something that might make people nervous.

I think we all hope that every factory will be using alternative, clean energy sources and the sooner the better.  The higher oil prices go, the cheaper that makes alternative sources look, so now the research and development will go faster. The higher the fossil fuel prices go and the more the resource dwindles, the greater is the incentive to look to other sources of energy.  If you research technologies that the big companies are looking at, you'll see that they do have long-term plans for alternative, green, energy sources.

Answer 8

First and foremost, the current technology on alternative energy cannot support the required energy requirement of an industrialized country like ours.  Also, the current technology is not stable enough to sustain energy requirement for a very long time.  But the most obvious reason is, our economy/currency is currently tied up with Oil, due to the huge investment made by the USA in the Middle east,  like ARAMCO.

Alvin

Answer 9

it is very simple,the truth is at http://globalwarmingheartland.org

Answer 10

Because they're too cheap to care about the future, they could be more environmentally friendly, but the cost is just too high for them to pay. I am taking environmental science in college right now; and it's sickening that these large retailers can't even try to help when they cause a lot of emissions.

Answer 11

I am sick and tired of some ignorant European who wants the world to go back to the middle ages. Unlike a majority of Europeans who are too stupid to realize that global warming is a hoax most Americans and Asians want to advance the world. Do you realize that with all the money spent on this hoax you are causing the death of thousands of people per day. Maybe not. If solar energy was feasable someone would have found a way to use it and make money to do it. your a lot a talk. If you want to live in ythe 19th century good for you but DO NOT try to force your ignorance on the rest of the world.

Answer 12

Clean energy is expensive and businesses are in business to make money.  All they seem to care about is the bottom line today not how the world will be affected in the future.

Answer 13

Because it costs them more money!