[OPINIONATED] Profit Over Planet

Profit Over Planet

By: Maneeha Adnan

Let’s imagine our planet being free of pollution, crystal-clear rivers flowing, and a healthy ecosystem flourishing. All this can only happen if industrialists start prioritizing the environment’s care before their personal profits. In this article, I will expose how industrialists contribute to environmental destruction. Industrialists prioritize their profits over the environment's well-being. All they care about is setting up more and more factories and exploiting minerals to earn as much as they can without caring about the damage it does to the environment. Let’s explore some of the main ways these big businesses are harming the environment.

Firstly, we’ll talk about one of the biggest industrialists that impacts the environment, or, to be more specific, our climate, the manufacturers. They neglect the environment and are a big reason for all kinds of pollution. Starting with noise pollution, manufacturing processes generate excessive noise, which disturbs ecosystems and the human community. Next, they cause soil pollution by causing soil contamination, which affects ecosystems and human health. Manufacturing processes also produce vast amounts of waste, including hazardous materials, which can end up in landfills or oceans. Harming marine life. Manufacturers also use and dispose of harmful chemicals. They also use manufacturing processes that release greenhouse gas emissions, leading to devastating climate changes. Additionally, they ignore the safety protocols that are there to protect them and their environment. Which results in tragic industrial accidents. They neither care about their workers nor about the environment; they are only concerned with their financial gains. This also puts us consumers at risk, so we really need to think before buying from such companies.

Furthermore, most of the time these industrialists pretend to care about the environment and assure their consumers they are following all kinds of safety protocols, but in reality it’s just a show. Behind the curtains, they’re working against it. They are also the ones funding the climate denial campaigns. They mislead their consumers for their own personal benefits. They have this mentality of profit over the planet, which leads them to exploit natural resources, cause pollution, and ignore the long-term consequences of their actions.

Some of the biggest consequences of their actions include melting ice caps and intensifying natural disasters. Due to their greedy actions, we’re experiencing a loss of biodiversity, deforestation, and pollution of our oceans and waterways. It’s time for industrialists to prioritize the health of the planet over their profits. They should instead invest in clean technologies and green innovations.

It’s time they start taking responsibility for reducing greenhouse gasses. This can only be done by spreading awareness about the environment to these big companies through activism and new laws. To get faster results, we must do this at a governmental level where all world leaders educate and make policies that stop the big businesses from harming the environment. They should also use eco-friendly materials and reduce packaging. They should also start using renewable energy sources (for example, solar, wind, and hydroelectric) instead of fossil fuels.

All I am trying to say is that industrialists don’t need to stop making money; instead, they should make money while caring about the environment. As mentioned by the CEO of Mars, “profit and purpose are not enemies. Doing the right thing does not mean a trade-off between planet and productivity.” They also add on, “At Mars, we know that our business can succeed even as we work to create a healthier planet.” Which clearly means that these industrialists can still take care of the environment while making their own profits. As the Cobra Company describes its go-green policies as “reducing energy waste, investing in renewable energy sources, and shifting to environmentally friendly materials and processes, businesses will see reduced overhead costs from utilities, lower emissions-related taxes and fines, and improved customer response and loyalty. All these factors can translate into increased profits over the long term.” It’s important that all businesses follow this planet-friendly approach to increase their profits.

We as consumers should also raise our voices against these companies and demand they follow eco-friendly practices. As this planet is our home and our responsibility, we should create a world where people and the planet can thrive together. As the BS also advises, “They can develop products and services that are eco-friendly, responding to the evolving demands of a socially and environmentally conscious customer base.”


Work Citations
www.mars.com/sustainability-plan/sustainability-report-progress?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw5ea1BhC6ARIsAEOG5pxoVCwMs0VAZLc7NoL8rl-g7wxn_XybZHJ17PIG5MuLM-1IsHz2TgkaAu_WEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds.

Anon. www.bcs.org/articles-opinion-and-research/prioritising-sustainability-over-profit/.