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| Yes | 84% | 26 votes | Total: 31 votes | |
| No | 16% | 5 votes |
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Add to FavoritesI read once that during World War II our country was really big on recycling. All the pig grease, the scrap metal, and clothing we recycled to make weapons and clothe our soldiers. Its not about an upward economic climb, or a world-wide economic decline. Really its about each day and the way that American's recycle that asks the question, "should we invest in green biotechnology". I know the first thing I worry about in the morning isn't whether or not I got my coffee organically from a small farmer in Guatemala or the San Fierro valley of California, no! That is not what green techonology is about. Its whether or not the coffee tastes good, and its about whether or not it makes sense to buy it.
Its been said that America is in economic decline. That china has become the bigger capproducer of capital goods. That they are the ones sapping our hard earned American money right out of the economy. This makes sense if one considers the way that their government operates. Dictating when, where, and how often its people should work. In America we do it simple. Wake up each morning and check our government calendars with great pride and satisfaction, not. Many of us on the contrary roll-over, hit the snooze, and curse the work day. This is acceptable, if your lazy. Some Americans though...they think about themselves sure, but they consider their immediate environment too! i.e. is my car clean. have the dishes been put away from last night so i can cook breakfast, whatever. These basic life issues keep American life together. That and Capitalism!
Capitalis m works a lot like the automatic tie holster that rotates in a huge circle...you know the one. Dad got it for christmas, for the thousands of ties he now owns from the gifts, the impulse buys, and maybe even grandpa Joe. Those little gadgets that plug into the wall and make a whirring noise are the sound investments in capital that keep Americans both sane and happy. They also tie us down to buying unnecssary capital goods from China. things like rubber dog poop, seriously?
Green technology is all about saving money in the long term, and all about cutting costs in the short term. That means saving for the future and not spending foolishly when times are tough. In America our freedom lies in the markets. Go to the grocery store, and pick lucky charms instead of Total. Go to the mall and pick designer jeans for one hundred dollars instead of the corduroys on the sale rack. Thats the American way, to save money by cutting costs and increasing profit. Green investments are renewable, expensive, and worthwhile. If you we can wait long enough for the cost to get cheaper then we will have a real reason to invest. The problem being that the more people who invest... the cheaper it will be. So only then will solar panels around the country be reducing our energy costs.
Only after we as a country decide that yeah, recycling is a pretty good call, and that yeah investing in biotechnologies is going to get us to those more manageable lower costs. So that yeah, one day we wont need oil. We may only want it, probably so we can make jet fuel and not have to worry about wasting it when we fight a serious war against an enemy that understands our greatest weakness. Energy consumption. If you don't know it yet, I'm talking about the war in Iraq and how w/o a dependence upon oil for our energy costs. Just think about how much cheaper that war could have been. So as a final send out. Please invest in green biotechnology. It is renewable, it is expensive, but gosh darn it! Its the American thing to do!
Learn more about this author, Alex Grunberg.
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No
Unfortunately, now is not a good time to invest in biotechnology. The argument almost defeats itself because of the way it is worded. Investing should not be confused with speculating, which would include green energy. For every 1 green energy company that becomes the next General Electric, there will be dozens that go belly up. It is important to look to the past as well as the future, to realize why this is not a viable investment option today.
The market crash of late 2008 was due to a credit squeeze, which the effects of will not be fully appreciated for many years to come. Financial banks cannot afford to lend to under qualified companies, especially if their balance sheets have shown consistently negative returns. Here lies the first problem: Almost all of green energy is not profitable.
People will look to companies like First Solar Inc. (FSLR) as an investment. It is operating in the green, and unarguably is a green energy leader. It trades at nearly 30 times earnings even after the market collapsed. This once again is wild speculation and buying shares of this comes with high risk. One slip up in their earnings will send the stock price tumbling.
Other companies like Composite Technology Corporation (CPTC.OB) and Western Wind Energy (WNDEF.PK) manufacture wind turbines and power, but have been running at a loss. For companies like these time is running out, and new loans many not come through for them.
The industry is still in its infancy. It is highly unprofitable, even as it grows. There needs to be technological advancement in order to establish profitability. This will come in time, but without restructured products, green will continue to be a losing investment. Science has fallen from grace over the last few decades, and America's great minds are working in fields that have been established, and offer them stability.
Will the next General Electric be a company that manufactures wind turbines, hydroelectric power, Solar Cells, or something else? This leads to even more interesting speculating subdivision. We are not even sure at this point what a green energy company would look like, what its products will be, and if it will be an economically viable solution. The fact is that Wall Street only cares about numbers. The integrity of the cause does not warrant the investment.
One day or another it will be time to invest. Today is not the day. We still have oil, and we find new fields every day. Our natural gas reserves are enormous. Until our economic situation improves, all the government incentives, money, and encouragement will be burned through before any real progress is made. An improved credit system, economy, and technological advances are really necessary to justify investing in green biotechnology.
Learn more about this author, The 'Fyziks' Man.
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