BP and Centrica: Embracing Nemesis.

Above is the Greek Goddess, Nemesis painted by Gheorghe Tătărescu (1818-1894) and suitably modified by the British Gazette, sandwiched between two “Green friendly” displays from BP and Centrica.
In Greek mythology, Nemesis, was the spirit of divine retribution against those who succumb to hubris (arrogance before the gods). The Greeks personified vengeful fate as a remorseless goddess; the goddess of revenge.
In ancient Greece, hubris had a different meaning from what it is today and referred to actions that shamed and humiliated the victim for the pleasure or gratification of the abuser. Hubris, though not specifically defined, was a legal term and was considered a crime in classical Athens. Violations of the law against hubris included what might today be termed assault and battery; sexual crimes ranging from rape of women or children to consensual but improper activity, in particular anal sex with a free man or with an unconsenting and/or under-aged boy; or the theft of public or sacred property.
Today, hubris denotes overconfident pride and arrogance; it is often associated with a lack of humility, not always with the lack of knowledge. An accusation of hubris often implies that suffering or punishment will follow, similar to the occasional pairing of hubris and nemesis in Greek society. The proverb “pride goes before a fall” is thought to summate the modern use of hubris. It is also referred to as “pride that blinds”, as it often causes one accused of hubris to act in foolish ways that belie common sense.
Actions that belie common sense are also seen by various companies in their support of the Green Movement. This support is common in the fossil fuel sector such as BP that now refers to itself as “beyond petroleum” and adopts Green logos. Then we have the electricity generating companies such as Centrica building wind turbines knowing full well that these cannot deliver the power needed.
Rather than supporting those misguded persons and organisations, these companies pour fuel on the flames of the fire that threatens to burn them. Most Greens are not seeking a peaceful coexistence with fossil fuels; they want society to stop burning fossil fuels altogether. Not one company in this sector should be helping this come about by supporting the fundamental premise on which the climate change campaign is based.
Supporting alarmism may slightly placate activists and give these companies more green bragging rights, but the strategy is obviously suicide in the long run. The basic problem is that these companies seek to pander to power and not to confront it. There is some logic to this, for they know that it is the politicians who make the laws and set the tax rates. However, the science behind the Greens claims is so ill founded that all it needs is for this to be exposed and the bubble will burst.
The British Gazette would refer these companies to Rogers First Law of Bubbles: They always burst – eventually.