Natural capitalism is a useful system that can conserve nature and environment and that can make natural resources more abundant in a period when the world is challenged with rapid consumption and population growth. It is a system that could help eliminate or at least diminish the growing occurrence of the natural disasters globally. The environment and natural resources rather than money as a basis of wealth and investment for a sustainable and life-saving economic growth is a superior idea especially that many of the current pressing concerns in the world about life and economy are environment-related. The natural capitalism changed the concept and the meaning of economic development. It raised the natural resources in higher value than financial growth. It is somewhat a reflective of popular saying, “When the last tree is cut, when the last river has been poisoned, when the last fish has been caught, then we will find out that we can't eat money.” (Greenpeace, 2010)
There have been many criticisms about the natural capitalism as the next economic system particularly from the activists, academe, writers, public speakers and the likes. Malcolm Slesser, an author of various books on development, resources and environment said that the natural capitalism as an economic system is deeply flawed because the authors of the natural capitalism, Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins and Hunter Lovins have overlooked the factor of human greed (Slesser). The Green Party of Canada doubts whether capitalism can be reformed (Open Politics).
Ted Trainer, Social Work Lecturer at the University of the New South Wales, believes that the only way to help the environment is to scrap capitalism as this system assures that it will be the rich who will benefit from the scarce resources and that the rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer (Open Politics). Capitalism brings income and social inequality which makes the system remained problematic even if the environment aspect of the challenges is solved.
Co-founder of Z Magazine and ZNet, Michael Albert said that the authors of the Natural Capitalism have limited perception on what is incorrect in the society and economy and that they have superficial understanding of the problems of misallocation of resources (Open Politics). They were unable to consider other factors affecting growth such as cultural relations, private ownership, market system, state role and educational system (Open Politics).
While all the criticisms mentioned are correct, this doesn’t mean that the natural capitalism is an unviable system and that capitalism cannot be reformed. The mere fact that the concept of natural capitalism was introduced giving importance to the nature while considering growth and that the corporations accepted it with an open mind, then there is a chance to reform capitalism as a system in which it will also address other ills such as social inequality and human greediness that increases income gap between the rich and the poor.
History of the different nations revealed that capitalism became the most enduring economic system and it became an effective means of acquiring financial growth for the group of people and even for the nations. This is evident with the emergence of the rich individuals and the powerful nations. This is precisely because of its accounting principle, money in money out, greater income lesser expense. If we use this principle with absolute ethical considerations such as investment in the environment, social and cultural relations and allocation of resources in such a way that income gap is narrow, then the world can be in the right direction of progress.
References
William Grader. Natural Capitalism, Business Creates Eco-Side! The Nation Company. Retrieved from http://www.wildnesswithin.com/natcap.html
Critique of Paul Hawken and Naturl Capitalism. Open Politics. Retrieved from http://openpolitics.ca/Critique+of+Paul+Hawken+and+Natural+Capitalism#EARTH_ACTION_WEEKLY_BULLETIN_41
Slesser, Malcolm. Misleading Us or Deluding Themselves? Feasta. Retrieved from www.feasta.org/documents/feastareview/slesser.htm
