There’s an old German proverb that says that all things have an end, except for a sausage, which has two. Well, all things have a beginning, too,  including environmental issues. Especially since it seems everyone’s concerned with solving the problems, but that perhaps we’re quickly offered solutions that aren’t.

PFAs

Example: plastic straws were outlawed/removed from many fast-food establishments as they tended to end up in the oceans, endangering marine life. Enter paper straws, but as xatakaon  reported, “Paper Straws Are Often Touted as a Great Alternative to Plastic, But There’s a Small Problem: They’re Toxic… After analyzing 39 brands of straws made of various materials such as plastic, paper, glass, stainless steel, and bamboo, a team (of scientists) found that paper straws contain the most perfluoroalkylated and polyfluoroalkylated substances, also known as PFAS. These synthetic substances are considered harmful to humans, animals, and the environment.”

PFAs are ‘forever chemicals’ that “can lead to health problems such as liver damage, thyroid disease, obesity, fertility issues and cancer,” according to the European Environmental Agency, and they’re also found in packaged foods, fabrics, paints, electronics, and pizza boxes, to name just a very few.

Single Use Plastic Bags

That paragon of environmental conscience – California – was the first to ban plastic bags. This just in: LA Times admits California plastic bag ban actually made waste problem worse: ‘Unintended consequences’. It seems “the thicker convenience totes that took their place as a reusable and recyclable alternative…actually aren’t recyclable. In fact, the study finds, the total amount of trash from plastic bags that California sends to landfills has never been higher.”

Greenhouse Gases

The best for last: Greenhouse gases. “After Al Gore arranged $22 billion annually for universities to study global warming, professors dredged up the old greenhouse theory to justify regulating carbon dioxide.”

Um, justify? That’s not how true science works.

“John Tyndall’s experiment and thirty-six-page paper, written in 1861, is the much referenced scientific study behind the greenhouse theory and global warming. No new significant science has been added to the…theory since the paper was written.  Advocates even use some of Tyndall’s exact words from the paper,” American Thinker reported.

“Combustion of natural gas (methane) produces CO2 and H2O, the two building blocks of photosynthesis and organic life on this planet.  It is harmless and most likely beneficial to the environment.

“At our gas-physics Weights and Measures facility in California, we tested carbon dioxide.  It cools about the same as dry air: 20 degrees in less than 4 minutes… These tests prove that no gas — not carbon dioxide, nitrogen, methane, nor even humid air — retains heat from day to day. The scientific reality is, there is no such thing as a greenhouse gas.”

Having a science background ourselves, we’re a big believer in following the science, meaning the scientific method – that every hypothesis needs verification through experimentation. Anything else may well lead to the unintended consequences, as mentioned above, and this is a heads up to founders out there who are quick to seize on the shiny new thing, and note from the American Thinker piece: Tyndall himself used the shiny new thing – “John Tyndall spent two years building a large device that used a galvanometer indicator to measure gas temperature.  The galvanometer did not quantify temperature; it measured only the movement of a gauge with gradation marks from 0 to 100.  His use of an indicator with no calibrated temperature numbers led to his false conclusion… Tyndall should have simply used a bi-metal temperature gauge, which had been invented about sixty years prior.”

Truth be told, even greenhouses cool off at night. Tyndall used the shiny new thing, rather than the tried and true, which is why his results were off. But hey, who can resist the shiny new thing?

We are aware that this is a sensitive topic and it’s certainly not our intention to upset anyone. It’s just that, as any successful founder knows, it’s impossible to correct or even address a problem unless you’re aware of what the real problem is.

But back to the shiny new thing, qua tech/AI: We’re Entering an AI Price-Fixing Dystopia, MSN reported. “If you rent your home, there’s a good chance your landlord uses RealPage to set your monthly payment. The company describes itself as merely helping landlords set the most profitable price. But a series of lawsuits says it’s something else: an AI-enabled price-fixing conspiracy.”

Oops. Unintended consequences. So, founders, as you’re building, always good to keep in mind how the powers you’re unleashing, meant no doubt for the good, could be used for not-so-good. As for AI and whatever shiny new thing might be coming down the pike, yes, all things – or at least most – do have an end. It’s our concern, re unintended consequences, that this is just the beginning. Onward and forward.