Our Common Future

Good morning…

• Mark Blunden – Sales and Marketing Manager• President of Weymouth & Portland Chamber of Commerce• Previously at Intersolar, ICP Solar and Global Solar in Tucson, AZ• Interest in the environment and earth matters…and trees

Our Common Future

The Brundtland Report (former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland), published 25 years ago.

•It has been successful in forming international ties between governments and multinational corporations.

•Described sustainability as a three-legged stool with people, planet and profit taking equal importance in the equation. 

•The report led the production of Agenda 21, an action plan of the UN with regard to sustainable development

•Agenda 21 entailed actions to be taken globally, nationally, and locally in order to make life on Earth more sustainable

Our Common Future

‘A [Development that] meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’

Bruntland Report - can be defined as…

The 3 Legged stool

The Brundtland Report highlighted the three fundamental components of sustainable development, the environment, the economy, and society

EnvironmentWe should conserve and enhance our resource base, by gradually changing the ways in which we develop and use technologies.

Social EquityDeveloping nations must be allowed to meet their basic needs of employment, food, energy, water and sanitation. If this is to be done in a sustainable manner, then there is a definite need for a sustainable level of population.

Economic GrowthEconomic growth should be revived and developing nations should be allowed a growth of equal quality to the developed nations.

The 3 legs

So lets take a look at the 3 legs of the stool….Ec

onom

y

Soci

al

Equ

ity

Environment

Sustainability

Environment

The Bruntland Report says…

We should conserve and enhance our resource base, by gradually changing the ways in which we develop and use technologies.

The environment – a few facts

One in 25 homes in England and Wales is at risk of coastal flooding, and this is expected to increase with a changing climate and rising sea levels.

In 1953 over 30,000 people were evacuated and 24,500 houses were damaged as the tidal surge inundated coastal communities from Spurn Point to Kent; 307 people were also tragically killed

The Thames Barrier was built in response to the floods in 1953.

Global Warming

Flooding May Change the World Map

If global warming continues areas less than 30 feet above sea level will be vulnerable to flooding.

Those areas most at risk of flooding, due to the rising sea level would be island nations like the Maldives….and the UK!

10% of the worlds population live in areas likely to be affected by rising sea levels such as Shanghai, and Lagos and The Atlantic Gulf Coasts of the USA.

Scientists project as much as a 3 foot sea level rise, by 2100.

Also threatened are Holland, Belgium, Denmark, & parts of China and India.

Rising sea levels – Take a look

A = Move to Portland?!

The environment – Energy Security

UK Government report states:

‘a secure energy system is one that is able to meet the needs of people and organisations ……..in a reliable and affordable way both now and in the future’

Just three countries supply the vast majority of EU gas imports—Russia (40%), Algeria (30%) and Norway (25%).

The UK will need to replace around 25% of its firm capacity over the next decade if it is to continue to meet demand

There is a risk that not enough gas capacity will be built in the UK as investors seek more certain returns elsewhere. Government is therefore concerned that the UK will not have enough ‘firm’ capacity over the coming decade to ensure that the UK’s electricity supplies remain secure.

Economic Growth

The Bruntland Reports says..

Economic growth should be revived and developing nations should be allowed a growth of equal quality to the developed nations.

The economy

China’s economy is projected to grow by about 8% a year, with India averaging 7.8% annual growth and Brazil 4.9%. By contrast, North America will experience annual growth of about 3%, Europe, 2% and Japan about 1%.

• Where will this stop?

• Do you want it to?

• What are the consequences to us all and the planet?

• Is what’s good for business, good for planet?

• Is it sustainable?

Resources - Food

Some facts to consider…

In recent years the world's food production has increased by 24 per cent, outpacing the rate of population growth.

However, this increase was not evenly distributed throughout the world. For example, in Africa, food production decreased, while population increased.

Most experts agree that there is no shortage of food, and that equitable distribution should be sufficient to meet all needs for the future.

Lack of money to buy food is the problem of malnourishment.

Source - Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute

Resources - Water

Water - An increasing number of countries both developed and developing are approaching the limits of sustainable water use based on their own renewable resources.

Resources - Housing

More than half of the developing world's population will be living in urban areas by the end of the century. This growth outstrips the capacity to provide housing and services for others. In some countries, finding a place to live is hard, especially for women.

Britain is heading for a property shortage of more than a million homes by 2022

Over population

The world's current and projected population growth calls for an increase in efforts to meet the needs for food, water, health care, technology and education. In the poorest countries, massive efforts are needed to keep social and economic conditions from deteriorating further; any real advances in well-being and the quality of life are negated by further population growth.

Many countries lack adequate supplies of basic materials needed to support their current population. Rapid population growth can affect both the overall quality of life and the degree of human suffering on Earth.Over-population and continuing population growth are making substantial contributions to the destruction of Earth's life support systems.It is essential to achieve a balance between population and the available resources.

Resources Vs. Population Growth

According to a report by the United Nation Population fund, total population is likely to reach 10 billion by 2025 and grow to 14 billion by the end of the next century unless birth control use increases dramatically around the world within the next two decades

There are about 3 births for each death –

•Where will they live?•Can the earth feed them?•How much water will they need?•How much ‘stuff’ will they want/need?

World population clock

TIME INTERVAL NUMBER OF YEARS WORLD POPULATION ___________________________________________________________ ?-1850 to 1 Billion 1850 years +___________________________________________________________ 1850-1930 2 Billion 80 years___________________________________________________________ 1930-1975 4 Billion 45 years___________________________________________________________ 1975-1987 5 Billion 12 years___________________________________________________________ 1987-2000 6 Billion 13 years

2013 – 10:50 AM Wednesday 27th Feb – 7.1 Billion…and rising___________________________________________________________ *We currently are adding 90 million annually and will continue to do so through to 2015 and beyond.

http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/

The poverty trap

Poverty is a condition of chronic deprivation and need at the family level.

Poverty, is a major concern of humankind, because poverty everywhere reduces human beings to a low level of existence.

•Poor people lack access to enough land and income to meet basic needs.

•A lack of basic needs results in physical weakness and poor health.

•Poor health decreases the ability of the poor to work and put them deeper into poverty.

PoverPovertyty

Access Access to land to land

& & incomeincome

Lack of Lack of needs needs to poor to poor healthhealth

Poor Poor health health

to to inabilitinabilit

y to y to workwork

PoverPovertyty

Priorities

The priorities for getting rid of poverty, improving food supply, ending malnutrition, and providing adequate housing coincide at all points with those required for balanced population growth.

United Nations

Global inequality

Global inequality has been declining, but the world is still extremely unequal, with the richest 1% of the world’s population owning 40% of the world’s wealth and the poorest 50% owning around 1%

Some final thoughts…

The throw away society…

Society

The Age of Obsolescence and AbundanceOne lucrative marketing and manufacturing concept, Planned Obsolescence, changed everything after WWII, when products began being specifically designed with disposability and limited life span or functionality in mind.

Shorter life span in your home means more frequent shopping sprees to the store.

Growth was being driven by a new sense of convenience and disposability. Paper plates and cups, frozen foods, TV dinners, foil and plastic pouches, aerosol cans, and squeezable tubes were the way of the future, bringing a new convenience and ease to everyone's lifestyle

Society

Changes in styles and new technologies have given way to new and improved products that were increasingly affordable to more people

• Seeking Sound AlternativesIn 1987, the Mobro barge, filled with 3,100 tons of garbage, traversed the globe stopping at 5 countries looking for a place to dump it's load.

• At an estimated cost of $1 million, it returned to NYC, having failed to find a final resting place.

• It became a symbol of the true cost of our disposable society,

• The upside was it encouraged the expansion of recycling programs and brought pressure on US Congress to pass the 1990 Clean Air/Clean Water Act.

Society – BIG BUTS!

Beyond the 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

We want the rest of the world to have what we have as its good for business…BUT

…we can't allow the rest of the developing world to emulate our negligence in methods of acquiring wealth and abundance, and then of disposing of it.

‘insanity has been defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome.

Negligence is described as doing the same thing over and over even though you know it is dangerous, stupid, or wrong." Now that we know, it's time for a change’

No matter what type of business you are in, you can make a difference

A question for you…

Is everything you do SUSTAINABLE?