Corporate Environmentalism?

What do DuPont, BP and Dow Chemical have in common? Despite being some of the biggest and wealthiest companies on the planet they also concede that climate change and environmental degradation  are occurring. In two 2008 letters some 80 of the globe's biggest organisations jointly wrote to the then G8, urging it to come to some sort of agreement concerning climate change and widespread environmental issues.

Now it may be difficult to say whether these letters ultimately had any environmental or social ulterior motive, but even if it was only about money it is a step forward. The much-maligned ‘industry’ took a swipe back at political powers, no longer are these leaders of business going to stand idly by and accept sole blame for both climate change, environmental degradation and their impacts.

These letters I must admit surprised me, I had always been in the corner of idly blaming industry for all the ills in the world. But to see in writing that these companies had come together to draft such a letter astounded me. Even if their motives are to secure future profits, it a positive step forward- ‘industry’ has accepted climate change and is willing to adapt.

These amazing letters firmly put the ball back in the political court in terms of blame for no action, which echoed in not only the ineffective G8 talks but the later 2009 Copenhagen summit. What has happened since the drafting of these letters? Copenhagen was a unanimous failure; Durban agreed to make a future agreement.

Perhaps it is now in 2012 that business should stand up and go without political regulations and make their changes now, before the inevitable environmentally protective legislation is brought in.

An industry led movement could hopefully result in stirrings in the seemingly stagnant global political system, could we finally see some change, that future generations will not laugh in disbelief at?


Daliwch ati!