ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the two biggest environmental polluters, the oil and coal industries, and the possibilities of renewable energy that could replace them. I see the masters of these organisations, CEOs and top offi cials in the case of corporations, and state leaders in the case of command economies such as China or Saudi Arabia, as responding to near-term demands and interests at the expense of long-term ones, thus endangering the planet. In the case of democratic nations, the fi rms seek to manipulate public opinion to ignore warnings about their emissions, and government representatives and offi cials to forestall changes that would threaten their interests. Meanwhile, owing to their success in the areas of public opinion and legislation, there is insuffi cient funding for promising energy alternatives that are carbon-free.
