Corporate environmentalism, ecological modernisation, and climate change

Corporate environmentalism or making money by polluting the ecosystems is a dichotomy, which has been debated over the last several decades. It is still questionable whether the gaps between making money and saving environment is narrowing down.

Undeniably, the economic growth inspired by industrial revolution, growth of capitalism, improved working condition and wellbeing for people had a price to pay, which ultimately resulted in pollution of water, air and soil. Significant pollution also released to environment by industrial accidents over centuries. There are countless examples in our recent memory.

Nevertheless, this piece is not about finger-pointing and blaming the industries who have been the major contributors to the damage to our environment. On the contrary, I would argue that there have been major changes in corporate attitude towards environmental responsibility for over the last 25 years. Industries have shown far better responsibilities towards environmental protection yet winning the public trust and confidence have been harder, and in many cases, businesses experienced uphill task to win customer’s hearts and minds.

It is often debated whether the big businesses are locked into vicious cycle of self-interests, politics and ideologies, which would eventually decide the fate of our planet’s natural resources. I do not think for a single moment that big businesses have suddenly woken up and became more environmentally conscious.

Another supposed dichotomy that perhaps became blurred is a distinction between green consciousness and corporate honesty. It may invert our traditional mindset, but we can say that the wind is blowing in the right direction. Many businesses have realised that there are scopes to increase financial bottom line by going green and that eventually have triggered them to change their attitudes.

Destined to perpetual profits, one might, therefore, wonder where ecological modernisation fits into the corporate behaviour and practices. Ecological modernisation is a simple concept that links up with ecology to economy. It is an innovation-based approach to environmental policy. More specifically, ecological modernisation combines with the natural market logic of modernisation and eco-innovation, de facto drive the businesses to the needs of global environmental concerns.

Big businesses are in a unique position to adhere to this concept, developing eco-friendly innovative solutions, making money and at the same time mitigating the impacts of environmental pollution.  

It is almost impossible to separate the connections and dependence that exist in corporate environmentalism and ecological modernisation. Producing environmentally responsible products and carbon neutrality are the new mantra in the world that we are living in today. Many of these green values have now embedded within the DNA of many business organisations.

The universal human penchant for innovation is extraordinary. Finding new technologies to resolve problems, do things differently for our own advantages have shown the cachet of genius and it continues till today. Technology begets more technology and we are witnessing the marvels of technology in our lifetime be it Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence or Genetic Engineering to Cyborg Engineering. The list can go on.

It can also be argued that the present primacy is no guarantee for the future primacy. Despite this, it is natural to ask a sensible question, “what we will do with all technological advancement if we cannot even save ourselves from an existential threat to humanity i.e., climate change?”

Climate change is affecting everybody. Increased heat-trapping gases such as CO2 mean increased global temperature and the impacts of increased temperature are already well known. It is marked in particularly by the biophysical consequences e.g., stronger cyclones, increased coastal flooding, frequent droughts, freshwater scarcity and increased water salinity.

These biophysical consequences will continue to affect people and their livelihoods and the whole economy across sectors and human development would suffer because of the changing weather. It is a global problem and a collective technological approach would certainly need to drive of change in the fight against climate change.

“Necessity is the mother of invention” is a well-known proverb and there is no better way to put it in this context. If the necessity is the mother of invention then what is our biggest necessity in the face of climate change in the 21^st century? The answer to that question is unequivocal: green innovation and technological changes to combat climate change and its impacts.

 The above point can be illustrated by a brief example. Thinking about the packaging waste which is one of the top environmental issues in recent time. We throw packaging waste; some cannot be recycled and some can be. Our aim should be to use less packaging, supply chain responsibility and the packaging materials should be designed in a way that it could be reused, recycled or even quickly decomposed into natural materials.

So, eco-innovation is the key factor in this regard.

I believe big businesses lie at the heart of the new technological innovation. A convenient starting point would be to drive the green innovation which would touch the fundamentals of sustainable business practices with the aim of reduced waste, innovative manufacturing processes that would require less water and energy, minimising greenhouse gas emissions, using more recycled and alternative materials to manufacture the same products.

It is also important to encourage the entire supply chain as well as their customers to drive the green technological innovation to achieve similar benefits. By doing this, it is possible to bring everyone on board within the sustainability obligations. And those businesses are unable to innovate and modernise perhaps will be left to wither.

In brief, corporate environmentalism and ecological modernisation show a strong bond of compatibility and they are true companions of goodness, which will eventually help to reduce human vulnerability to the adverse effects of climate change. It will also help in supporting adaptation and mitigation responses to the climate crisis.

 

Biodiversity loss, but we must stay focused on restoration

Dreadful feelings of anxiety and sadness grip my mind when I read news about mass deforestation and habitat loss. We are losing species at a rate 1,000 times greater than at any other time in recorded human history, and one million species face extinction. Forests are our greatest defence against climate change, but we are losing the forests in rapid scales.

It is very sad to know that the world has failed to meet a single target to stem the destruction of wildlife and life-sustaining ecosystems in the last decade, according to a devastating new report from the UN on the state of nature. All the 2010 Aichi goals to protect wildlife and ecosystems have been missed. It is a frightening statement of the status quo.

Like you, I strive to fathom how we got to this situation and worry about the future of humanity. In his recent documentary film ‘A Life on Our Planet’, Sir David Attenborough eloquently explained and presented some heart-rending evidence, which shocked many people around the world.

Human greed and arrogance are too powerful to comprehend that they have been shooting their feet by destroying the nature. Humans have succumbed to endless temptations for far too long, which led them to destructive paths by thinking that nature will only provide. We have ignored the simple fact that nature cannot be just an endless provider.

Global biodiversity is at tipping point. One tipping point would lead to another tipping point, and then another, and finally trapped in vicious cycles that undermines our present and the future human well-being. This threat hovers over our heads. Our common future is hanging by a thread, and the stakes are very high.

We can feel sorry for the past mistakes, but it will not help anyone. Unless we accept our past mistakes, learn from it, and prepare to make the right decisions that would ensure restoring the Earth’s self-recovering capabilities. The sooner we understand this simple message and replenish biodiversity and eco-system, the better for everybody.

This raises an age-old question - are we all together in this journey? My intuition immediately answers the question – ‘there is no alternative, we must stand together!’ We cannot just carry on doing what we have been doing best – take, make, use, and dispose.

To turn the tide, we must enhance our shared responsibility and global solidarity. That said, 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) took place from 15-28 October 2020, in Kunming, China. The year 2020 has been billed as “super year” to bring nature back from the brink. Although the pledge is a voluntary declaration, but it is undoubtedly a step in the right direction.

In the mist of all the chaos, there are still some reasons to feel positive about biodiversity conservation around the world.

For example, China. We usually do not hear about their achievement, but China has significantly progressed in biodiversity conservation in recent years. Out of 30 priority actions set in China’s national biodiversity strategy, great progress has been made in 20. Along with the promulgation and revision of their laws, China’s philosophy of ‘ecological civilisation’ has been the backbone of running successful biodiversity campaign.

Same with the African countries, their success stories hardly get any credit. They are on a brink of momentous revolution with the ‘Great Green Wall’ project. Its aim is to grow an 8,000km of green belt across the entire width of Africa. By 2030, the wall aims to restore 100 million hectares of currently degraded land, become a natural carbon sink of 250 million tonnes of CO2, and create 10 million jobs. It is an excellent news but how many people know about it?

Being the second most densely populated country on the planet, a small island state Singapore has found an innovative way to blend urban living with the nature unlike any other nation. It is an excellent example of a biophilic (bio is life and philia are friendly towards) city. Growing number of comparable examples can be drawn around the world such as cities like Oslo, Wellington, Virctoria-Gasteiz in Spain, Milwaukee in the USA etc. It is a unique way to rewild the cities, and a way forward in the face of rapid urbanisation, poverty, and environmental degradation challenges in 21^st century.

Viewed from a different perspective. A small country like Netherlands has become an agriculture giant since they committed to sustainable agriculture two decades ago under a rallying call ‘twice as much food using half as many resources.’ The Dutch has become one of the world’s pioneer of agriculture innovation by using less water, small scale in land use, no pesticides in food and cut the uses of antibiotics to the poultry and livestock. Technological solutions have given the Dutch to avoid destruction of eco systems on a much larger scale. If the Dutch can do it then other technologically advanced countries can do it, which will eventually spill over to the least developing countries.

These are just a few good examples. Some countries have achieved great things, but the others falling behind. A collective approach would certainly need to drive of change in the fight for a sustainable future. The desire for reversing biodiversity loss has gathered momentum and we must seize it. The World must stay focused on biodiversity restoration. After all, reversing biodiversity loss is about preserving ourselves.