sustainable development & competitive advantage: what businesses need to know to be successful...
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Presentation at SCMHRD, Pune; and CXO Learning Series, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Northern Region Headquarters, Chandigarh, India.TRANSCRIPT
What Businesses Need to Know to be Successful in a Global Economy
Professor Jeremy B. WilliamsChief Academic Officer
Knowledge Universe
CXO Learning SeriesCII Northern Region Headquarters, Chandigarh, India
21 June 2012
3
Overview
1) Why some believe there is no need to worry about climate change
2) Why we should worry about climate change3) What needs to be done4) Reasons for optimism?
11
1.Doubts about the science
3.Think abouttoday not the
future
2.We will inventour way outof trouble
Bordering on the absurd
Ignores precautionary principle
Unethical
16
The Stern Review, October 2006
On climate change:“The greatest market failure the world has ever seen”
Sir Nicholas Stern
17
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report
February, 2007: Evidence of Human-caused Global Warming is ... “Unequivocal”
29
Floods in Southern China, June 2011, 550,000 left homeless
Floods in Southern China, June 2011, 550,000 left homeless
30
Forced migrations
UN study estimates that there were 50 million environmental refugees around the world in 2010
Same study estimates that as many as 100 million people live in areas that are below sea level or liable to storm surge
32
1 metre sea level rise will inundate more than 15 percent of Bangladesh, displacing more than 13 million people
35
The ecological footprint concept
How many planets would we need if everyone lived like you?
http://www.myfootprint.org
36
Calculating the ecological footprint
Image source: http://www.ew.govt.nz
Official statistics on consumption are used to calculate the amount of biologically productive land and water area required to produce the resources consumed and to absorb the wastes generated using prevailing technology
37
Worldwide, there exists about 1.9 biologically productive global hectares per person
Image source: www.adbusters.org
38
At what stage do you think humankind will outstrip its supply of biologically productive hectares?
A. 2010B. 2020C. 2050D. 2100E. No answer
46
“The Virgin Earth Challenge”… USD25 million prize if you can develop “a commercially viable design which results in the removal of anthropogenic, atmospheric greenhouse gases so as to contribute materially to the stability of Earth’s climate”.
49
Going about our business naturally
Radical resource productivity
Biomimicry
Service and flow economy
Investing in natural capital
www.naturalcapitalism.org
50
Radical resource productivity
Using resources more efficiently in ways that can already be achieved; e.g. process redesign (disembodied technical change) or energy efficient buildings, passive solar heating.
52
Reorient to a service and flow economy
Focuses more on selling and purchasing services rather than products
Makes manufacturers more ecologically responsible