Transcript Friends Of The Earth – Overview Of Big Sustainability Issues

Overview of the
BIG
EMERGING
sustainability issues:
Planetary Boundaries:
Rockstrom, J. et. al. (2009) “A safe operating space for humanity”, Nature 461, 472-475
Planetary Boundaries:
A Safe Operating Space for Humanity
Professor Johan Rockström, Director of the Stockholm
Resilience Centre at Stockholm University:
“Human pressure on the Earth System has reached a scale
where abrupt global environmental change can no longer be
excluded.
“Transgressing planetary boundaries may be devastating for
humanity, but if we respect them we have a bright future for
centuries ahead”.
Planetary Boundaries:
Rockstrom, J. et. al. (2009) “A safe operating space for humanity”, Nature 461, 472-475
Climate change:
Page 8
Change in global average surface temperature:
Source:
International Scientific
Congress Climate Change:
Global Risks, Challenges &
Decisions - Synthesis Report
(2009)
Page 9
Change in ocean heat since 1951
Source:
International Scientific
Congress Climate Change:
Global Risks, Challenges &
Decisions - Synthesis Report
(2009)
Page 10
Greenland Seasonal Ice Melt
1992
Source: © 2005 ACIA
2002
2005
Photo: Roger J. Braithwaite,
University of Manchester
School of Geology
Change mass of Greenland ice sheet,
2003 to 2008
Source:
International Scientific
Congress Climate Change:
Global Risks, Challenges &
Decisions - Synthesis Report
(2009)
Change in sea level from 1970 to 2008
Prediction of
global mean
sea level rise
of 1m (+/0.5m) this
century
...double
IPCC
predictions
from 2007.
Source:
International Scientific
Congress Climate Change:
Global Risks, Challenges &
Decisions - Synthesis Report
(2009)
Source: Stern Review on The Economics of Climate Change (2006)
Slide 15
Stern Review
Page 15
Risky business:
• Odds of surviving a round of Russian Roulette
– 5 in 6
• Odds of surviving a climb of MtEverest
– 9 in 10
• Odds of surviving a plane journey
- 999,999 in 1,000,000
• Odds UK Government is prepared for preventing
“dangerous climate change”
– 44 in 100
Source: Stern Review on The Economics of Climate Change (2006)
Slide 17
Stern Review
Biodiversity and
Ecosystem Services
Think;
‘Biodiversity’
Think;
‘Biodiversity loss’
How do you feel?
Think;
‘Climate Change’
How do you feel?
Linkages between
ecosystem services and
human wellbeing
Interaction
s between
biodiversit
y,
ecosystem
services,
human
well-being
and drivers
of change
The Economic of Ecosystems and Biodiversity
(TEEB):
The Stern Review :
• cost of tackling climate change would be in
the region of 1-2% of global GDP
• longer term benefits would be 5-20 times
that figure
TEEB:
• costs of protecting the planet’s ecosystems
will be higher, but so will the benefits;
between 10 and 100 times the cost of
protection
Resource Use
Four facets of the crisis
1.
2.
3.
4.
Climate
Land
Water
Materials
(biodiversity can be viewed as resource,
which is being eroded through variety of
causes)
The Land crisis
“Buy land, they’re not making it any more”
Mark Twain
We rely on land within the UK, but also import
‘virtual land’ in products we buy from abroad
e.g. The land footprint of soya for animal feed
.
Slide 37
The water crisis
• You can’t grow things without water
• 62% of UK water footprint is imported
• As demand from food, biofuels, biomass, middle
classes increases, areas of water stress are
increasing
– Leading to dry rivers, population movement and
biodiversity loss
How much?
1 pound of lettuce
1 pound of tomatoes
1 pound of potatoes
1 pound of wheat
1 pound of carrots
1 pound of apples
1 pound of chicken
1 pound of pork
Slide 39
University of California
23 gallons
23 gallons
24 gallons
25 gallons
33 gallons
49 gallons
815 gallons
1,630 gallons
The material crisis
• Materials are essential to society, whether
biological (e.g. biomass) or abiotic (e.g. metals)
• Increasing material extraction links through to
other uses of resources, e.g.
– Energy and sometimes water needed to extract
resources
– Land for mining (and growing biotic resources)
How should companies respond to the
challenges and opportunities of sustainability?:
Corporate sustainability strategies needs to address:
1. Business operations
2. Products and services
3. Staff recruitment, training, engagement, and
rewards
4. Knowledge management and reporting
5. Communications (internal and external) and
stakeholder engagement
6. Business model and business strategy
7. Interaction with public policy
2. Products and services
Case Study on the limitations of ‘ethical consumerism’:
Palm Oil
Palm oil is the biggest cause of rainforest destruction in SE Asia:
Palm oil is the biggest cause of rainforest destruction in SE Asia:
Palm oil is a vegetable oil made from the fruit of the palm oil tree:
Friends of the Earth (NGO) campaigning about
palm oil outside UK supermarkets
How should companies respond to the
challenges and opportunities of sustainability?:
Corporate sustainability strategies needs to address:
1. Business operations
2. Products and services
3. Staff recruitment, training, engagement, and rewards
4. Knowledge management and reporting
5. Communications (internal and external) and
stakeholder engagement
6. Business model and business strategy
6. Business model and strategy
How should companies respond to the
challenges and opportunities of sustainability?:
Corporate sustainability strategies needs to address:
1. Business operations
2. Products and services
3. Staff recruitment, training, engagement, and rewards
4. Knowledge management and reporting
5. Communications (internal and external) and
stakeholder engagement
6. Business model and business strategy
7. Interaction with public policy
Membership of Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change:
Why might companies support policy
measures to tackle climate change?
1. Policy clarity in medium to long term
2. New markets for low carbon technologies
3. Protecting or enhancing corporate image,
reputation and brand
4. Seeking long term economic security and
managing risk
5. Adaption and increased resilience of corporate
operations and infrastructure
Why might companies support policy
measures to tackle loss of ecosystem
services?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Licence to operate
Corporate Image, Reputation and Brand Risk
Cost of capital and perceived investor risk
Access to Raw Materials
Operational Impacts and Efficiencies
New Business Opportunities
Who said what?
“Growth has to be
dethroned if the planet
is to survive surging
population and climate
change”
Adair Turner, Chair of the Financial
Services Authority
Page 64
Who said what?
“If the climate was a
bank, [the West]
would have saved it
by now”
Hugo Chavez, President of
Venezuela
Page 65
"I am convinced that the
world is changing from a
market-driven economy
to a 'green' economy.
This is the future."
Roger Agnelli, President & CEO,
VALE S.A.