Quote:
Originally Posted by OMEGAMAN
I have a question. At what point does a corporation become evil enough to strip the amazon rain forest.
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I'm not sure I understand what you mean by the question, but I'll try to answer.
I don't think McDonald's is intentionally evil. I don't think they set out to do harm. I think that like all corporations, they have a fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders to provide a return on investment, or profit. The way the world works now, McDonald's profit is unaffected by the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest caused by their purchasing of cheap South American beef.
It seems to me that we have pushed the planet to its very limits in terms of its ability to provide for its inhabitants. There are no more buffer zones, there is no more margin for error. Our actions have unintended consequences that used to be "no big deal" because the world was big enough to absorb them and shake them off.
I believe that the environmental impact of products should be factored into their pricing so that market forces assist necessary regulation in moving us towards a sustainable future. A carbon tax is one example of how this could work.
Edit: I'm actually unsure if McDonald's still purchases beef from ranches created from cleared rainforests. They may have stopped due to public pressure. But it's a good illustration of how corporatization and heavily marketing driven consumption have a negative impact on the world.