Corporate Handouts

The government of Alberta has recently announced that it is providing six Alberta companies with $27 million.  The capital will be used by the companies to increase efficiencies in order to reduce green house gas emissions by "3.2 megatonnes over 10 years, equivalent to taking 64,000 cars off ."  While this is great, what I don't understand is why these corporations need government handouts?  According to Alberta regulations, these companies are required by law to install these efficiencies.  These companies produce millions in revenues and are able to pay CEO's lucrative wages in the millions, but they cannot spend a fraction of a percent of their income on improvements which are required by law?  Why does the general population have to suffer for the sake of a few that do not want to do the right thing?  Part of the problem is that society creates these situations where these CEO's probably know what they have to do, but they can't because they are employed in a position where it is necessary to maximize profits in order just keep the job.  Society creates this awkward position, and only society can change it.

The government could have instead giving all of the money to one person could have set up a program to install solar panels on 2700 homes.  Instead of Canada bailing out the auto industry a few years back, why couldn't they invested in high speed rail?  They both create jobs, however one will create a sustainable way to travel in Canada.

Societies practice of allowing 2% of the worlds population to own 50% of the worlds income has to stop if we want to create a sustainable world.  People are starving in the world, and we easily have the resources to feed them.  Corporations should only be making enough money for cover operational costs and future expansions.  The rest of the money should be going to public programs in order to provide free transit, health care, and the basic needs for every citizen.  Earning too much money is in fact unsustainable.

According to the UN it would only require 2% of the global GDP as subsidies to end hunger, cut our reliance on fossil fuels and create a sustainable world.  The thing is that this 2% of the worlds GDP is already being used to as subsidies, subsidies for unsustainable practices.  So we would simply just need to transfer the money from the current unsustainable investments, to investments that can see world hunger and our reliance on fossils eliminated.