International Business

We all know that if your business grows large enough that someday you will have to expand past the borders of your city, state or country. If you run a business online you know your customers can come from anywhere. When you enter the World Market you compete with other entrepreneurs all over the planet, and this can be quite humbling, as competitors pop-up all over the net. The world is connected and everything affects everything else.

Now then, I would like to introduce a universal truth about the reality of pollution. You see, when businesses pollute that pollution, just like your online competition does not stop just because there is a man-made borderline drawn in the sand or an ocean separating the land. Your world-wide competition may have an advantage over you; such as cheaper labor or perhaps lax environmental regulations. Still, you are affected no matter where they are.

Currently, California has set limits to the part-per-million (ppm) of pollution particulate in the air. When it increases California will increase the regulations on transportation items, business facilities, and even BBQs in the local park (no kidding). But did you know that the pollution from China is blowing across the Pacific Ocean into California increasing the ppm in the air, thus, even if California curbs all their pollution, China's pollution is growing and the California Air cannot get any cleaner, even if some day in the future they stop all commerce.

California has warned their Chinese counterparts that this pollution is unacceptable and if it continues China may not be able to unload Chinese products at California Ports, much to the chagrin of the Longshoremen's Union and the railroad workers unions. You can see how international business relationships with our preferred trade nations are tested to the limits and why folks have discussed a world-wide carbon credit trading scheme to solve this dilemma, without more political impasse at the WTO?