1) Regulatory – Plastic product consumption will probably be reduced
“How plastic is trashing the planet” – New York Times Upfront
http://go.galegroup.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T003&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm¤tPosition=8&docId=GALE%7CA569892395&docType=Article&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=&prodId=PPPM&contentSet=GALE%7CA569892395&searchId=R3&userGroupName=gain40375&inPS=true
I think there is an opportunity with regulation laws and with consumer desire to reduce plastic (and general) waste, especially if there are consequences for not doing so. If people are both required to and want to make a difference, perhaps there will be a way to provide a product or service that does just that while also accomplishing a larger goal. Since the general consumer that cares about the environment and their impact is expected to be younger, I imagine it will be easier to create a product/service that appeals to their desire to see a change being made.
As it is now, there are companies like 4Ocean doing just that (I even have one of their bracelets). A friend of mine even interned at their headquarters over the summer. I can see a lot of other companies trying to do similar things, and I think there’s definitely room for growth in the sustainability focused industry.
2) Economic – Electric vehicles will be promoted and purchased due to emissions and efficiency
“Electric vehicles are in the spotlight at detroit’s 2019 auto show” – The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/13/business/detroit-auto-show-electric-cars.html
As it is now, the technology is still developing and electric vehicles aren’t quite the craze yet, but they are definitely becoming a larger and larger competitor to gasoline/diesel powered cars. Car companies are putting more and more resources into developing electric vehicles, and eventually emission standards will reflect the need for hyper efficient gas engines, or electric engines. Current consumers are the upper-middle class to the wealthy, but once technology progresses, the average consumer will be a car owner.
I think it’s going to be difficult to exploit this without access to better technology/resources. One option is to create accessories and piggyback off of what people want from the electric car industry but haven’t seen yet from manufactures (like integrated systems of fueling that can be “added” to your car, much like LPG systems in Europe). I think a major barrier is going to be access to technology, and overcoming the initial mindset a lot of people have about electric car “not being the same.”
3) Regulatory – Pollution rates will increase
“Shutdown means EPA pollution inspectors aren’t on the job” – The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/09/climate/epa-pollution-inspection-shutdown.html
Because there is a definite gap in inspections, there will definitely be a window where industries can skimp by on emission checks, due to ignorance or cost savings. The issue this creates is excessive pollution, which arguably everyone should be a proponent against.
I’m not sure if the time frame permits a solution to exploit, as the government will be opening up for a short time, and it’s not exactly guaranteed that there will be an emissions issue. In addition to that, the industries are so large, it would be difficult to implement anything that’s actually effective in terms of reducing pollution (short of privatizing inspections).
4) Economic – Stock markets will be more volatile in upcoming quarter
“Wall st. ignored signs of trouble for months. Now it sees risk everywhere”
http://go.galegroup.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T004&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm¤tPosition=9&docId=GALE%7CA565111256&docType=Article&sort=Relevance&contntSegment=&prodId=GPS&contentSet=GALE%7CA565111256&searchId=R1&userGroupName=gain40375&inPS=true
It’s not like the stock market is ever predictable or stable, but it is definitely true that the past year has been a rollercoaster for investors and it’s leading to shaken confidence in the market. This means a lot of normal (not stock market savvy) people are unsure of what to do with their investments.
In this case, perhaps a good exploit would be a company that can help you invest in whatever is most stable (be it stocks, real estate, gold, etc.) instead of a day trader that tries to find the best of the falling stocks. I’m not even sure if this a feasible idea, since most trends aren’t really noticed till a few people make millions and by then the profits starts to level off. I noticed this mostly because I have watched Tesla stock bounce up and down for months, along with a number of other tech giants.
Unfortunately, there will be industries and companies that will be taking advantage of having no inspections and therefore leading to much more pollution. This of course causes more negative externalities. I liked that you included two other articles that did talk more about the positive actions that we are taking such as reducing the amount of plastic we use and using more energy efficient vehicles!
ReplyDeleteI definitely think you should focus more on the use of plastic idea. There is a huge necessity right now to reduce our plastic consumption and recycling system as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI am actually really surprised about the fact that pollution rates are going to increase. You hear about all of the big companies starting programs to decrease their contribution to the problem. Also all of the government programs that are there to make sure resources are provided to home owners so they can recycle.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you touched on the negative effects of plastic polluting the earth. It kind of reminded me of the plastic ban that has taken place in most of the cities around the US. A cool solution fo this problem is to find new renewable substitutes of plastic such as metallic reusable straws
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