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Ecological challenges The global commons A commons is a shared resource that a group of people uses collectively. Preserving our common ecosystem and assuring its continued use is a new imperative. Ecological challenges (continued) Sustainable development Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Protecting the environment will require economic development. Economic development must be accomplished sustainably. Ecological challenges (continued) Threats to the Earth’s ecosystem Water resources Fossil fuels Arable land Ecological challenges (continued) Forces of change The population explosion World poverty Industrialization Ecological challenges (continued) The limits to growth The world resource base is essentially finite, or bounded. The Earth’s rapid population growth, people’s rising expectations, and the rapid industrialization of less developed countries are heading for collision with a fixed barrier. “Deciding How Much Global Warming Is Too Much” Under first treaty (1994) addressing global warming, 193 countries, including U.S., pledged to avoid “dangerous” human interference w/ climate “Dangerous” not defined Kyoto Protocol took effect 2/16/05, requiring participating industrialized countries to cut emissions But targets and timetable negotiated w/ no agreement on what amount of cuts would lead to climatic stability President Bush rejected Kyoto Pact in 2001 Some experts say that by time clear evidence is at hand, calamity later in century will be unavoidable Any consensus on climate risks will likely intensify pressure on Bush administration to shift from current opposition Source: New York Times, 2/1/05 “Deep in the Sahara, BP Tries to Put Dent in Global Warming” Given Kyoto Protocol, companies that will have to curb emissions in compliance w/ their countries’ caps scrambling to figure out how to do so wo/ killing bottom lines Even in U.S., companies looking for solution, figuring it’s only matter of time before they also face caps BP and its partners in Algerian natural-gas processing plant injecting carbon dioxide back one mile underground (“geologic storage”) Key question: will CO2 stay underground or come burping back up out of earth? Concept drawing interest because it could curb global warming more quickly than switching to alternative energy sources or cutting energy use Source: Wall Street Journal, 2/4/05 “Nations Wince at Kyoto Reality” Now gov’ts have to figure out how to divvy up responsibility for cuts among companies and consumers that produce emissions Producing political backlash E.g., Canada pledged to cut emissions to 6% below 1990 level by 2012 But its emissions are increasing 1.5%/yr If emissions continue to grow at current rate, Kyoto pledge will require cutting emissions to 35% below what they would have been in 2012 w/ no action Source: Wall Street Journal, 2/16/05 “Senators Warm Up to Emissions Curbs” Republican opposition to ‘greenhouse gas’ curbs is slowly easing, as concerns mount over damage from climate change In Alaska, the two Republican senators say they are willing to reconsider carbon-dioxide regulation after voting against it two years ago Legislation proposed in Senate would require industry to reduce emissions to 2000 levels by 2010 According to recent report by GAO, melting sea and glacier ice has resulted in severe erosion and flooding problems in 86% of Alaska’s native villages President Bush is opposed to regulation Many politicians aren’t sure to what extent man-made carbon dioxide is contributing to climate change, some scientists dispute link Source: Wall Street Journal, 2/22/05 World Business Council for Sustainable Development Goals: To encourage high standards of environmental management and to promote closer cooperation among businesses, governments, and other organizations concerned with sustainable development. Called for businesses to manufacture and distribute products more efficiently, consider their lifelong impact, and recycle components. Recommended revising systems of national accounting to include the costs of environmental damage, and pricing products to reflect their full environmental cost. Voluntary business initiatives Life cycle analysis Involves collecting information on the lifelong environmental impact of a product, from extraction of raw material to manufacturing to its distribution, use, and ultimate disposal. Industrial ecology Refers to designing factories and distribution systems as if they were self-contained ecosystems. Design for disassembly Means that products are designed so that at the end of their useful life they can be disassembled and recycled. Sustainable Development What does the principle of sustainable development mean when practiced at the level of an individual business? Select a business with which you are familiar, determine what kinds of changes that business would need to make in order to operate sustainably. Is it possible for a single business to operate sustainably, or does sustainable business require a coordinated effort by many companies, governments, and international agencies?