Sustainability and Its Impact on Business Planning
The totality of our lives and countless other living organisms depends on a thin smear of green on the outside of a rocky ball spinning through space. Whether you are a proponent of the emergence of this amazing edifice `by chance` or `by design`, none of us can deny the beauty of this complex web of life, in which every organism is linked in some way to all others. Microbes, plants, insects, fish, birds and mammals all play their miraculous part in the cycles of energy, nutrients and waste that flow through our life support system
Yet, in no time, geologically speaking, we have managed to ravage, pollute and systematically undermine the support system upon which all life depends. After 250 years of unfettered industrial progress, the web of life has started to unravel and even with an immense range of resources we have failed to create a world in which everyone has access to the basic requirements of food, shelter, healthcare and education.
This is the situation now! What will happen in 2025 (comfortably within the lifetime of most readers of these pages and, certainly, their children) when the world`s population is projected to exceed 8 billion? There are those that believe that technology will overcome our current concerns and provide us with a way of continuing to grow economically and socially. Others believe that increasingly acute resource shortage is an inevitable consequence of current trends and that such shortages are most likely to end in human conflict.
Over the past few years and in response to the situation outlined above, a new word has crept into our language to describe consumption and resource use in our society. This word is sustainability. It means quite simply our capacity for continuance into the long-term future.
Whilst current concerns about non-sustainability largely have an environmental (or ecological) basis, it is clear that we can reach a situation of un-sustainability for economic and social reasons as well. Examples of social un-sustainability include: the use of forced labour or child labour or breeches of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The economic dimension of non-sustainability includes inappropriate allocation and distribution of scarce resources through force or illegal practices and the undermining of local economies associated with globalization.
Caleb continues to develop a niche position in addressing `Sustainability and its impacts on business planning`, using a variety of tools and processes to understand and address specific challenges arising within businesses and other organizations.
Caleb is authorized to deliver the foundation course in sustainable development for professionals issued by the Institution of Environmental Science.
Ozone Depletion and the Montreal Protocol
The discovery by Rowland and Molina back in 1974 of a potential mechanism by which stratospheric ozone could plausibly be depleted took the scientific and industrial world by storm. So much so, that it took a further 10 years for the world to come to terms with the implications. Even then, it was necessary to observe an actual ozone hole before the global community was mobilised to action. But mobilised it was, and the Montreal Protocol was the result in 1987.
Since then, a series of measures has been introduced to curb the use of ozone depleting substances (CFCs, HCFCs, Halons and others) under the guidance of a group of Assessment Committees covering the science of ozone depletion, the effects of ozone depletion and the technical and economic aspects of transition.
Caleb has been intimately involved in this process for over ten years with Paul Ashford serving as an active member of the Technical and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP) as well as co-chair of the Technical Options Committee on Foams.
Although the Montreal Protocol is held by many to be a success (and indeed it is), this should not belittle the challenges that remain both in phasing out the on-going use of ozone depleting substances in developing (Article 5(1)) countries and in the technical, economic and environmental impacts of the substitutes that are replacing ozone depleting substances. Caleb continues to be active in supporting individual governments and affected industry sectors throughout the world in the implementation of their phase-out strategies and this is likely to continue for at least another 5-10 years. This extends as far as specific project reviews in some cases. As progress is made in consumption phase-out, a growing focus is being placed on product end-of-life issues, where there are substantial further opportunities to mitigate emissions. Caleb has been a leading influence in this area, particularly in the insulation foam sector where blowing agents are effectively stored in closed cells.
The Montreal Protocol also provides the global community with a marvelous case study when considering future environmental action. It is of little surprise, therefore, that many involved in the Montreal Protocol process are now assisting in other areas such as climate change and the Kyoto Protocol. Caleb is no exception and the company is particularly active in assessing the overall global warming impact of substitute chemicals and related technologies.
