Posted: Oct 01, 2012 11:51 pm
Spearthrower wrote:The ever increasingly obscure nature of scientific knowledge - the fact that people can't see things with their own eyes, and don't have the mental tools to assess scientific findings. It's a problem of education.
It's also a problem of sponsored obfuscation. While free speech is laudable, on many levels our society is set up to allow those with the deepest pockets to have the loudest voice and reach the most people. Those same deep-pocketed individuals and companies have a vested interest in preserving the status quo in terms of current taxation laws, regulatory laws and public attitudes towards the commons. It makes perfect economic sense for them to oppose the dissemination of climate change facts.
Much of this comes from the incorrect narrative that corporate directors (C level employees) have a legal duty to maximise returns for shareholders. I know of no such legislation anywhere but it is a persistent "zombie" lie that keeps popping up every time one tries to address corporate lobbying. The fiduciary duty of C level employees is entirely phrased in the negative. They must not make material misrepresentations/omissions to investors and they must not commit fraud. Maximising shareholder value is a tool for enabling the company's debt issuance and for maximising C level renumeration - oh wait, I think I've answered my own question...