Ibhizinisi linamandla angakanani okwenza okuhle emhlabeni obhekene nokuguquguquka kwesimo sezulu okungase kube yingozi okubangelwa abantu? Ngesonto abaholi bakahulumeni abahlangane ngalo Bonn ukuze kuxoxwe ngeSivumelwano sase-Kyoto esibhidlika ngokushesha, I-Guardian yabheka impikiswano yesimo sezulu ('Melt Down', July 18, 2001). Umlobeli wezemvelo uPaul Brown wenze umsebenzi omuhle wokuhlanganisa ubufakazi futhi waphinda isiphetho sososayensi besimo sezulu abanegunya lokuthi 'kufanele sinciphise ukukhishwa kwegesi ebamba ukushisa ngo-60 kuya ku-80% maphakathi nekhulu leminyaka ukuze sizinze isimo sezulu ngaphambi kokuba izinto zingahambi kahle. ' Kodwa, ngaphandle kobufakazi obusekelayo, wabe esencoma amabhizinisi amakhulu 'ngokuguquguquka okungajwayelekile' ekuphenduleni usongo lokufudumala kwembulunga yonke.
U-Paul Brown washo amazwi amangalisayo athi 'mhlawumbe indawo egqame kakhulu esithombeni esimnyama kube uguquko olumangalisayo emibonweni yamabhizinisi amakhulu.' UBrown waqhubeka, 'Ngaphandle kwezinye izinkampani zikawoyela zase-US ezine-Exxon/Mobil (Esso in EYurophu) iphezulu ohlwini, osomabhizinisi basabela ngokushesha ekusongelweni kokufudumala kwembulunga yonke.' Isitatimende esisekelayo salokhu kusabela okusheshayo kanye 'noguquko olungajwayelekile' yilokhu okulandelayo: 'Eminyakeni emihlanu edlule izinkampani ezifana ne-Ford, izinkampani zikawoyela ezifana ne-BP ne-Shell seziqalile ukufaka izigidigidi ocwaningweni lobuchwepheshe obusha.' Lesi isithombe esingaphelele, salokho obekwenzeka.
Kalula nje, inkulumo-ze eluhlaza yenkampani kawoyela ayifani nezenzo eziluhlaza. I-BP - manje esihlanganiswe ne-Amoco kanye ne-Arco - ihlose ukukhulisa ukuthengiswa kobuchwepheshe bayo bamandla elanga kuze kufike ku-$1 billion ngonyaka ngo-2010. I-Shell International - emzamweni wokuhlangabezana nezinhlelo ze-BP zamandla elanga - ekugcineni yenze umnyakazo obalulekile emakethe. emithonjeni yamandla avuselelekayo ngo-Okthoba 1997. Iqembu lama-Anglo-Dutch lamemezela ukuthi lizotshala izigidi ezingu-500 zamaRandi eminyakeni engu-5 elandelayo ngenhloso yokubamba okungenani amaphesenti angu-10 emakethe yomhlaba wonke yamaseli elanga ne-photovoltaic ngo-2005.
Kodwa-ke, lezi zinhlelo ezivela ezinkampanini ezinkulu ezifisa ukusizakala kwabangase baphumelele ezimakethe esikhathini esizayo ezintweni ezivuselelekayo azilithinti neze izithuthuthu 'zebhizinisi njengenjwayelo'. Ukutshalwa kwezimali kukaShell ezintweni ezivuselelekayo kungamaphesenti ayishumi kuphela emali esetshenziswa inkampani enkulu kawoyela ekuhloleni i-hydrocarbon ($10 bhiliyoni ngonyaka), amaphesenti angu-1 okutshalwa kwawo emhlabeni jikelele (amaRandi ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingu-0.8) kanye namaphesenti angu-12 kuphela okuthengiswa kwawo emhlabeni jikelele (amaRandi ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingu-0.06) - ukwehla. emgqonyeni, ngamanye amazwi. Ngo-171, uphiko lwe-Shell oluvuselelekayo kanye ne-BP Solar lwavala ukusebenza kwendlunkulu e-UK futhi yathuthela phesheya, yagqamisa ukungazibophezeli kwabo ekudaleni imisebenzi emkhakheni wamandla avuselelekayo waseBrithani.
Izinkampani ezingaphansi zase-US ze-BP kanye ne-Shell zazingamalungu e-Global Climate Coalition, iqembu elidume kabi le-fossil lobby eliphika iqiniso lokufudumala kwembulunga yonke, kuze kube ngu-Okthoba 1996 no-April 1998, ngokulandelana. Bahoxa ku-GCC kuphela kulandela ingcindezi enkulu yomphakathi yokuthi benze kanjalo. Kodwa-ke, bobabili i-BP kanye noShell basalokhu bengamalungu e-American Petroleum Institute, eye yanxenxa uhulumeni wase-US ukuthi angasigunyazi i-Kyoto Protocol. Ngempela, i-National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), ehlanganisa ingxenye enkulu yezimboni ezivamile zase-US, ikhuluma ngokungagwegwesi ekuphikisaneni kwayo: 'I-NAM iphikisana ngokuqinile nesivumelwano. Ngokulalela iseluleko se-NAM, ngo-1997 iSigele sagunyaza isinqumo se-Byrd (D-WV)/Hagel (R-NE) esiphikisa noma yisiphi isivumelwano sezulu somhlaba esingafaki amazwe asathuthuka kanye/noma esisongela umonakalo omkhulu emnothweni wase-US. I-Kyoto Protocol ihluleka kuzo zombili lezi zibalo. UMongameli Bush naye uphikisana ne-Kyoto futhi manje uphishekela indlela enengqondo yokushintsha kwesimo sezulu esekelwe kusayensi ezwakalayo, ucwaningo kanye nobuchwepheshe '( www.nam.org, 19 July, 2001).
Elinye izwi elikhulu lebhizinisi lase-US, i-US Chamber of Commerce, ngokufanayo lizimisele ukucekelwa phansi kweSivumelwano sase-Kyoto. Encwadini entsha Umongameli wase-US, i-US Chamber wabhala: 'Ukufudumala kwembulunga yonke kuwudaba olubalulekile okufanele kubhekwane nalo - kodwa i-Kyoto Protocol iyisivumelwano esinamaphutha esingenantshisekelo ye-US. I-US Chamber iyavumelana nokuhlola koMphathi wakho - ukuqonda okwengeziwe kwesayensi kokufudumala kwembulunga kuyadingeka ukuze kuxazululwe ukungaqiniseki mayelana nomthelela ongaba khona wemisebenzi yabantu kulesi simo. Ucwaningo olwengeziwe luyadingeka ukuze kwakhiwe amasu angcono kakhulu okubhekana nale nkinga' (www.uschamber.org 19 July, 2001). Kusizindalwazi salo, i-US Chamber imemezela ngokuziqhenya ukuthi iyinhlangano yamabhizinisi enkulukazi emhlabeni emele amabhizinisi angaphezu kwezigidi ezintathu futhi izinhlangano zabo bonke ubukhulu, imboni kanye nesifunda. Kuningi kakhulu 'indawo egqame kakhulu esithombeni esimnyama' sikaPaul Brown!
Ukhetho lukaGeorge W. Bush, naye owayengumhwebi wamafutha ngokwezohwebo, lwazuzwa ngokusetshenziswa kwamandla amakhulu ezezimali amabhizinisi amakhulu. Ukuphikisana kukaBush ne-Kyoto Protocol kumane kukhombisa izintshisekelo zabaxhasi bakhe. U-Julian Borger we-Guardian uyabhala, 'Ezikhundleni zokuphatha zikaBush, ibhizinisi yilona kuphela izwiโฆ Lokhu kuseduze ngangokunokwenzeka ukungena kuhulumeni wentando yeningi kuhulumeni webhizinisi, ngamabhizinisi kanye namabhizinisi.' (Borger, 'Bonke osomabhizinisi bakamongameli', The Guardian, 27 April, 2001) U-Robert Reich, owayengunobhala wezabasebenzi kaClinton uyengeza, 'Akusekho amandla aphikisayo e-Washington. Amabhizinisi alawula ngokuphelele imishini kahulumeni.' (ibid)
Empeleni amabhizinisi amakhulu azibophezele ekuvimbeleni ngisho nezinyathelo ezincane zokulwa nokushisa komhlaba - izindleko zesikhashana zibonakala ziphezulu kakhulu. Ukusetshenziswa kwezigidigidi eziyi-100 zamaRandi ohlelweni lwe-National Missile Defense kukhethwa ngenxa yezizathu ezihlobene - ukuphendula 'ekusabiseni' 'kwezifundazwe ezinobudlova' kubandakanya ukuthela izigidigidi zamadola entela kuma-akhawunti asebhange amabhizinisi amakhulu obuchwepheshe obuphambili. Ngokunjalo, yonke iphrojekthi yokuhwebelana kwembulunga yonke eqhutshwa yibhizinisi ingumzamo wokukhiqiza ukuthengisa okwandayo kanye nenzuzo - ukuzibamba nokuzibophezela akukho ku-ajenda.
Ngonyaka odlule, i-BP iphinde yaqalwa kabusha njenge-'Beyond Petroleum' ebonisa uphawu lwayo olusha lwe-'Helios' lokuphuma kwelanga. Abagxeki baphendule ngokuthi i-BP ngempela kufanele imele 'Burning the Planet'. I-BP iziveze njengenkampani yamandla ebhekele imvelo, kodwa lokhu kuyakhohlisa. Njengoba iGreenpeace UK yabika ngonyaka odlule, 'ukwanda kwe-BP ekukhiqizeni uwoyela kususa ukuzibophezela kwayo ekongeni ikhabhoni izikhathi eziningi. Ingase ithi iyinkampani ehamba phambili yelanga, kodwa inezinhlelo zokutshala izimali ezifisa kakhulu zezinkampani eziyisithupha eziphezulu zelanga. I-BP ayinalo nje isu lokuphuma emafutheni, kodwa empeleni iyasheshisa ukufuna kwayo izinto zokubasa ezimbiwa phansi.' (Frontier News, Volume 2 Issue 9, umbiko we-imeyili, 20 Ephreli, 2000).
Njengoba u-Andrew Rowell eveze ku-'Green Backlash' (Routledge, London, 1996) kanye noSharon Beder ku-'Global Spin' (Green Books, Totnes, 1997), sekuyinhlalayenza ukuthi ibhizinisi lithathe i-green veneer, ngokuhlonishwa ngumphakathi obizayo. ubudlelwano, ngaphandle kokufaka esikhundleni sezinqubo zebhizinisi ezilimazayo nemisebenzi esimeme emvelweni. Ibhizinisi lase-US lichitha imali elinganiselwa ezigidini ezingu-500 zamaRandi minyaka yonke ekushiseni okuluhlaza. UShell no-BP 'bachitha imali ephindwe kasikhombisa ekukhangiseni imininingwane yabo eluhlaza kunaleyo abayichitha emisebenzini yezemvelo' (u-Alasdair Clayre weqembu elizinze e-Oxford i-Millennium Energy Debate, ecashunwe kuyi-Guardian, 12 November, 1999).
Isikhungo esihlonishwayo esizinze eLondon i-Global Commons Institute silinganisela ukuthi kuzoba nokufa kwabantu abangaphezu kwezigidi ezimbili ngenxa yezinhlekelele ezihlobene nokushintsha kwesimo sezulu emhlabeni wonke eminyakeni eyishumi ezayo. Ukulimala kwempahla kuzofinyelela amakhulu ezigidigidi zamaRandi (Global Commons Institute, incwadi eya kuThe Guardian, 14 March, 2000. Umbhalo ogcwele wencwadi utholakala ku-www.gci.org.uk/guardlet.html). Njengoba u-Andrew Rowell ephetha, 'Okuwukuphela kokusabela kokuziphatha kanye nokuhluzeka kokufudumala kwembulunga yonke ukungatshalwa kwezimali ekucutshungulweni kwazo zonke izinto zokubasa ezimbiwa phansi. (Udaba Olukhulu, 15-21 February, 1999).
UDavid Cromwell kanye noDavid Edwards bangabaqondisi Abadidiyelwe beMedia Lens (www.MediaLens.org).
UDavid Cromwell ungumbhali we-Private Planet (www.private-planet.com), eshicilelwe nguJon Carpenter. UDavid Edward ungumbhali we-Free To Be Human (Burning All Illusions in the US) kanye ne-Compassionate Revolution (zombili Izincwadi Eziluhlaza).