green & sustainability - introduction

Presenter: Ravi Teja Pabbisetty 1

Introduction: “Green”


Define Green !!


Meaning: Green

Money

New/Beginner

Environment Friendly


“Green” in today’s perspective

It’s used in a way which portrays an

environment friendly quality of an activity

or a product


The Way forward !!


Terms: Impact on the Planet


Ecological Footprint

It is a measure of human demand on the earth’s ecosystem.

It’s a tool for estimating the consumption (or) depletion of earth’s resources for our day-to-day needs and activities

It is a standard measurement of a unit’s influence on its habitat based on CONSUMPTION and POLLUTION

Units: Global Hectares (gha)


Bio-Capacity

It is the earth’s capacity to regenerate its resources

The total amount of productive area available


Ecological Overshoot

It is the deficit created when the human footprint is larger than the biocapacity

It first happened in mid of 1980’s and kept on increasing ever since

In 2003, Total Biocapacity: 11.2 gha

1.8 gha per person Ecological Footprint: 14.1 gha

2.2 gha per person Demand exceeded supply by 25%

Took 1.25 years for earth to regenerate the resources consumed by humans in the year 2003.


Five Factors influencing Ecological Overshoot

Population Consumption of goods and

services per person Footprint Intensity Bioproductive area Bioproductivity


Population

Fewer offspring Offering women access to better

education, economic opportunities, health care opportunities are proven approaches

These investments also enhance the health and educational outcomes of their children


Consumption

Reduction of goods and services per person

• Potential depends on the economic situation

People living below the poverty line have to increase consumption to move out of poverty

The more affluent people can reduce consumption without compromising their quality of life !!


Intensity of the Footprint

The amount of resources consumed during production of goods and services can be significantly reduced

• Energy Efficiency

• Manufacturing process and equipment

• Home appliances

• Minimizing waste generation

• Reuse and Recycle

• Efficient Transport

• Reduced usage of distance goods


Bioproductive area

Lands which are degraded can be reclaimed through careful management

Through Terracing and Irrigation, marginal lands can be more productive

Good land management will ensure that the bioproductive areas are not lost


Bioproductivity

The yield or productivity of an area Depends on the ecosystem and the way it

is managed Agricultural tech can boost productivity but

can also diminish bio-diversity Energy Intensive agriculture and heavy

reliance on fertilizer

• May yield results but at a larger footprint associated with increased inputs

• Impoverish soil which leads to reduced soil fertility

Climate change mitigation can also help maintain yield !!


India’s Ecological Footprint (2003): 0.8 ghg per person

• Ranked 125th out of 152 nations measured

• Despite this low average consumption per person, due to its large population, India has the 3rd largest total Footprint , exceeded by USA and China


Global Ecological Footprint

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CO2 portion of humanity's Ecological Footprint

Humanity's food, fiber, built-up land and nuclear Footprint

Human Demand on Biosphere: Ecological Footprint 1961 - 2003

Source: Global Footprint Network, USA

CO2 Portion of Humanity’s Ecological Footprint

Humanity’s food, fiber, built-up land and nuclear footprint

Our Present requirement – 1.51 earths ! (2007)


Ecological debt

India: An ecological deficit of 100% approx

• Ecological Footprint: 0.78 gha per person

• Biocapacity: 0.40 gha per person

Debt due to: Rapid growth of population

• India’s per capita Footprint to decrease

• Increased per capita consumption of Fossil fuels

• Greater Carbon Footprint

• Decrease in India’s per capita biocapacity

• 1961: 0.7 gha per person

• 2003: 0.4 gha per person


Water Footprint

• India has the Largest Total Water Footprint of any country in the world

• 987 billion m3 per year

• India contributes

• 17% to global population

• 13% to global water footprint


Life Spans of people, assets and infrastructure


India’s Ecological Footprint

Source: Global Footprint Network, USA

India Footprint, Biocapacity and GDP

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Footprint

Biocapacity

GDP

Ecological Debt Growing over time


How to approach this deficit ?


Sustainability


Sustainability

“Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the future generations ability to meet their own”

World commission on Environment and Development, UN in 1983


Sustainability - Approach

Triple Bottom Line (TBL) or (3BL)• Captures an expanded spectrum of

values and criteria for measuring organizational success• Economic (or) Financial

• Social

• Ecology (or) Environment

• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)• Initiatives followed by firms

demonstrating their TBL approach and activities

• “People, Planet & Profit” (or) “The Three Pillars”


People Human Capital Perceives on implying fair and beneficial

business practices towards labour, the community in the region of their business

Few issues like:• No child labour• Fair pay for its workers• Maintain safe work environment• “Give Back”

• By contributing strength and growth of its community such as health care and education

Quantifying this bottom line is subjective and also problematic• Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has come up with

guidelines to enable corporations and NGO’s to comparably report on the social impact of a business


Planet Natural Capital Sustainable Environmental Practices Few issues like:

• No harm to the environment• Operating at better SEC values• Reducing Manufacturing waste generation• “Cradle-to-Grave”

• Uppermost approach for Manufacturing businesses

• Conducting a “Life Cycle Assessment”• Will determine the true impact of the manufactured

product on the environment/ecology

• No disposal of toxic and other harmful wastes into the environment

TBL approach: “ Ecologically destructive manufacturing must not be given a free ride in the society”


Profit

Economic capital Within a sustainability framework,

the ‘profit’ is seen as the real economic impact the organization has on its economic environment

In TBL approach• Traditional accounting profit + Social &

Environmental impacts, unless the profits of other entities are included as social benefits


How to aware people of these activities of the companies ?


Sustainability Reporting

The trend of publishing Financial reports annually or quarterly has been a practice• Done for displaying the financial position of the

firm to the stakeholders As the awareness on the environmental issues

has risen, the stakeholders are required to know the environmental impact of the firm

This led to publishing “Sustainability Report” The key organization which standardized the

reporting format and ensures the quality of the report is “Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)”• Update: GRI G3.1 guidelines released on 23rd

march 2011


Application Level


Third Parties Involved with assurance for Sustainability reporting


Greenhouse Effect


“Venus is too hot, Mars is too cold, and Earth is just right."

Reason – Green House effect !


A planet's climate is decided by its mass, its distance from the sun and the composition of its atmosphere


Temperature depends on Green House effect

Mars has a thin atmosphere 0.03 % of atmosphere is CO2

Temp of (-) 50°C Lower than our deep freeze !

Venus has a thick cloud 95 % of atmosphere is CO2

Temp of 420°C Bake a cake !

"Venus is too hot, Mars is too cold, and Earth is just right."


Green House Gases (GHG)


GHG Concentration levels

GWP – Global Warming Potential

GHG Unit 1750 2007 GWP

1 CO2 ppm 280 384 1

2 CH4 ppb 700 1857 25

3 N2O ppb 270 321 298

4 CFC 12 ppt 0 541 10900

5 HFC 134a ppt 0 49 1430

6 SF6 ppt 0 6.4 22800

* Effect of Man-made GHG’s: Equivalent to 1 % increase in power of sun


Average temp of earth : 15 deg C

Without GHG : -17.8 deg C


What is Global Warming ?


Global Warming

The Greenhouse effect helps sustain life on planet Earth !!• The Greenhouse Gases are responsible

• Warming is the output From the Industrial era, the amount

of Greenhouse Gases have risen tremendously • This is creating greater “Warming” than

required

• Effect: Rising Global Temperature


Global Warming – Stats !!

Global Warming•1880 – 1970 : 0.4°C

• In 2008, the global average surface air temperature was +0.44°C above global mean for 1951-1980 baseline

•10 warmest years have been recorded between 1997-2008

•Average global temperatures for the years 2005 & 2010 are rated the hottest years ever recorded – NASA GISS


* NASA GISS data


Climate Change !


Climate Change

Impact of GHG on climate change• Proven beyond doubt

Several countries • Already impacted by climate change

• Business, agriculture, services, economy affected

Need to evolve a holistic approach globally to combat climate change


Climate Change - Potential Impacts Sea Level

• Rise of 1-3 feet in the next 100 years

Melting of Glaciers• Threat for drinking water

Health Impacts• Increased disease (particularly

waterborne diseases) Climate

• Erratic monsoons • Droughts• Cyclones

Agriculture• Net Loss in world’s food supply


Effect on Glaciers


Himalayan Glacier

Covers 17% of greater Himalayan region

Largest area after polar regions•113,000 square km area

9 largest rives serving 1.3 billion people

Gangotri•Rate of depletion is 3 times more than the

200 year depletion rate


Gangotri Glacier Retreat


Effect of sea level rise

6 Crore people have to shift in Calcutta and Bangladesh


How to tackle this at a global level ??


Albert Arnold “Al” Gore Jr 45th Vice President of US (93-01)

served under President Bill Clinton Received a Nobel Peace Prize

along with IPCC in 2007 Award winning, popular book and

documentary on “An Inconvenient Truth” (06-07)

Establishments• Generation Investment Management

(founded 2004)• The Alliance for Climate Protection

(founded 04-05) Author, Businessman,

Congressman and an Environmental activist


IPCC http://www.ipcc.ch/ Intergovernmental Panel

for Climate Change Introduction

• Established by UNEP and WMO• To provide the world with

knowledge on climate change and its potential environmental, socio and economic impacts

A Scientific body•194 countries are a part of it•Head quarters is located in

Geneva, Switzerland


UNFCCC http://unfccc.int/ United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change Introduction

• Various countries have joined hands in the form of an International treaty

• Established with a focus on what can be done to reduce global warming and to cope with the inevitable rise in temperatures

Kyoto Protocol was framed on 11th December 1997


Kyoto Protocol An International Agreement on Climate Change

• Adopted in Kyoto, Japan• 16th February 2005 (entered into force)

Introduction • Set binding targets for 37 industrialized

countries and European community to reduce GHG emissions• 5% against 1990 level over 5 year period (2008-

2012)• Established a mechanism to appreciate the

nations which have implemented it• Emission trading• Clean Development Mechanism• Joint Implementation

• These mechanism stimulated the Green Investment market !!!!


WRI http://www.wri.org/ World Resources Initiative Introduction

• A Global Environment Think Tank

• Provides practical strategies for putting research ideas into implementation on environmental fronts

Work with government, companies and civil society to build solutions to urgent environmental challenges


CII www.cii.in/ Confederation of Indian Industry Introduction

• Non-government, Not-for-Profit, Industry led and Industry managed organization

• CII catalyses change by working closely with government on policy issues, enhance efficiency and expand business opportunities for Industry

Established 7 Centres of Excellence on different fronts


CII – Godrej GBC http://www.greenbusinesscentre.com/

Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre Introduction

• A Centre of Excellence• 3rd Green Building in the world, 1st outside

USA• Offers advisory services to industry on

Environmental aspects in the areas of• Green Buildings• Energy Efficiency• Water Management• Renewable Energy• Green business incubation and Climate

Change activities Works closely with various international

organizations like WRI, Global Footprint Network, Climate Leaders, US AID, UNEP, Asia-Pacific Partnership and many others


Few more Lectures on !!

Energy Efficiency & Renewable New Concepts in the Green World GHG & Climate Change Industrial Ecology Introduction to Green Business Green Economy


Summary Defined Green ! Terms

• Ecological Footprint• Biocapacity• Ecological overshoot & its factors• Ecological debt

Sustainability• Definition• Approach: TBL• Sustainability Reporting

Greenhouse Effect Greenhouse Gases

• What do they do !• Sector-wise emission figures

Global Warming Climate Change and its Impacts Few Organizations working on these

issues


Thank You

Ravi Teja [email protected]

green & sustainability - introduction

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