Though their past gaffes haven’t faded away, those fearless pro forecasters, heading into a new decade, have no hestitation in putting a . . . : Finger on Fate : Peace and Profits

Early in this decade, William Shireman, a Sacramento environmental and recycling consultant, says he looked into the future and saw relative peace and harmony where there was only faction and discord.

Specifically, Shireman recalls that he predicted that “more and more legitimate common ground” would be found between those traditional foes, environmentalists and the business establishment.

To Shireman, the conclusion was quite logical. To achieve its goals in energy efficiency, recycling and other areas, environmentalists--largely unschooled in the ways of the free market--would have to seek common cause with business people who saw a profit in a cleaner environment.

Now, Shireman contends that he was right, at least to a degree. While business and environmentalists still are often at loggerheads, there are areas of peace. Recycling has become a growth industry, he says, pointing to widespread adoption of state recycling laws that have spawned new, profitable businesses in metals and glass.

The discovery of common ground took a little learning on both sides, he says.

For example, in 1974 corporations generally scoffed at the environmentalist contention that the U.S. living standard could be maintained with one-third less energy use, Shireman said. A couple of oil crises later, the U.S. economy is now one-third more energy efficient than it was 15 years ago, he said.

In this instance, business learned that environmental ideas could be one way of cutting costs--as well as making profitable energy-efficient products, Shireman said.

He thinks that this trend will continue into the 1990s, partly because of a move toward the “true costing” of natural resources such as forest products and water.