Let’s suspend reality, scientific consensus and findings, and rational thought for just a moment. Let’s pretend that there aren’t decades worth of data and weather patterns to show that the environment hasn’t already been irreversibly damaged or may not recover without human intervention.  For shits and giggles, lets say that this is merely a plot by a bunch of tree huggers who just want to impose unneeded regulations and, left to their own consciences and moral guidances, big companies will do the right thing in spite of the cost to their bottom line and in spite of already proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that they will most certainly not unless obligated to.

Okay….

Ignoring all environmental impact:

What reason would justify that dumping oil into a waterway is okay?  Under what circumstance can anyone pretend that cutting down hundreds and hundreds of acres of rainforests is a good idea?  Why shouldn’t companies simply be allowed to dump their industrial waste wherever it’s convenient?  Why should auto manufacturers be expected to be responsible for building a product that doesn’t needlessly emit toxic fumes into the air we breath?  Why in the world shouldn’t we cling to the finite supply of dirty fossil fuel instead of adapting towards alternative options?

When the environmental impact is removed, there is no reason any of these things can be justified except for the profit that only a few people will benefit from.

That is not a good enough reason for me.  Is it for you?