Sustainability...

I've been noticing a trend... The trend is sustainability, or at least, what purports to be sustainability. Which, of course, is why I decided to start this blog, and the radio show. There are now online universities offering degrees in "sustainability."

One ad I saw online recently said its course would teach three aspects of sustainability. One of which was profit. Which leaves me with a question.

"How good can the course be, and how sustainable can the results be, if one of the key tenets is grounded in an unsustainable practice?"

The motive for profit can easily be argued one of the most detrimental and unsustainable practices any entity can participate in.

For instance:

If there is greater profit in treating a disease than there is in curing it, then how reliable can the medicine be?

Or:

If there is greater profit in maintaining an unsustainable and detrimental energy source, such as "fossil" fuels, then how sustainable can the conclusions reached be with such a key tenet in place?

Or, How about this one:

What would happen to emerging technologies which could serve to free mankind, clean up the ecology, and offer long term sustainable survival of the human species, if it is less than profitable?

I could go on, but I'm sure you can see by now, that the motive for profit doesn't exactly scream sustainable from the mountain tops. Which, by the way, are being cut down in the name of profits from an energy source which is currently blamed for releasing massive amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere and causing greenhouse warming trends, which could either lead to an early onset ice age, or massive heatwaves, drought, and famine. In either case, the cost of life on this planet would be both dramatic and devastating.

So, sure, we could go on deluding ourselves into believing everything will be just fine, so we can go on living the way we have for so long now, but at what cost?