Economies of Scale for a Greener Planet

The fate of a greener world lies in the principles of economies of scale.

If more electric cars or hybrid cars were created, they would become cheaper, and thus the demand for these "green" vehicles would rise.

If only communities were billed for their water consumption (household water metres etc), we would begin to value the "privilege" of having access to clean and fresh water, where other parts of the world don't.

But then... rise in cost of anything will be met with nay-saying. And rise in cost of anything will only continue to create larger gaps between the rich and poor.

Industry needs to step in and take more responsibility for their products. The production of computers, cell-phones, laptops, games, etc... all create pollution, either during it's production, or when it is put in dumpsters and replaced all too quickly by something "new" and "faster".

In a TRUE digital age, we would have no paper, yet there is probably more paper in the work-place now, than there was 10 years ago, due to everyone printing off multiple copies of emails and documents.

This is a very idealist post, and perhaps this will never happen in our life-time, but the purpose of this post is food for thought. Too much emphasis is put on the individual, and while each one of us can change our habits by recycling everything, composting, and driving less, we can only do so much. Industry can influence the world more than the individual can.

Concrete economic incentives need to be put in place before large industries will change their practices. So long as oil is in demand, car manufacturers will continue to produce cars as is. So long as plastic bags are around, everyone will continue to use and discard them. Create better choices, or better yet, limit our choices to more earth-friendly products.

It is a sad thought, but one individual can only do so much, and it will be too little too late.