World Environment Day (WED) passed a few
days ago, on the 5th of June; did you notice? Not even the often-meaningful
Google icon for that day recognised this global event; instead we were reminded
of the 295th birthday of the (undoubtedly highly skillful) furniture
maker, Thomas Chippendale.
Nevertheless, things did happen. A glance
at the WED website shows that events took place as far afield as Mongolia (the
‘host’ country celebrating its first wind farm) and Somalia (one of the world’s
poorest countries). The slogan for the awareness-raising campaign this year, organised
by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was: THINK-EAT-SAVE; REDUCING
YOUR FOOTPRINT; this made reference to the fact that a third of the world’s
food production, 1.3 billion tons, is wasted and thrown away each year. This is
a tragedy of monumental proportions when you consider that 1 in 7 of us go
hungry.
The spotlight was on the unnecessary
pressure this creates on the areas of land under cultivation and the demand on
fresh water supplies. Did you know that it takes 1,000 litres of water to
produce 1 litre of milk? I didn't.
How effective campaigns like this are is hard
to say. I suspect that it is their cumulative effect that has an impact, not
just one event. This shows in so many different ways. In Singapore, where
regular readers will know I spend part of my year, they have been celebrating
25 years of ‘going green’. In particular, the growing of trees and opening of
public spaces is important in an island crammed with people and a growing
industry. The aim is for 85% of the population to be less than 400 metres from
a public park by 2030. Lee Kuan Yew, the country’s founding prime minister, has
planted a tree symbolically every year since 1963 and did so again this year.
Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General, has
also launched an initiative this month to implement a seamless transition from
the Millennium Development Goals that expire in 2015 to new Sustainable
Development Goals for 2015 to 2030. These goals will be partly informed by a
recently published Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) agenda
which aims to tackle poverty alongside promoting environmental protection.
There is environmental action taking place
everywhere, both co-ordinated toward a common global goal and informal or
commercially driven. For example, I happened upon an interview yesterday featuring
the Head of Sustainability of Procter and Gamble. Therein he explained how the
improving technologies in cleaning products, allowing for 30 degrees Celsius
washes and using less packaging, lessened resource usage for families and the
environment. This is one of countless steps improving the situation; check
company sustainability reports if you are interested.
But then the real world bites back. Despite
all the good news, who would have thought that just a few days later in Singapore
we would be heading for the greatest environmental crisis the city-state has
faced so far? I usually submit this blog from under a palm tree in the sun. I
am now sitting inside my hotel room with no sun visible because I am advised it
is unsafe to go outdoors. The smog is so dense that I can barely see across the
road. It is like a vision of the apocalypse. Unless you can remember the London
smog of the 1930s and 1950s, you would have to see pictures on the news or web
to believe it.
Most people in the street (and some inside)
are now wearing masks if they can get one; I have failed so far, as the shops
here are sold out! There is a possibility that all outside workers will be told
to stay at home. The psi index of pollution is currently 400, near the highest
point ever reached. To give you some perspective, anything above 300 is
considered hazardous!
The choking haze comes from the very
problem WED was trying to highlight. Clearing forest areas on the Indonesian
island of Sumatra for agricultural plantations and grazing. Both large corporations
and small holders start fires in the dry season and let them run riot across
the indigenous forest only a few miles away across The Straits. There has been
no rain for days. The authorities are considering cloud seeding but the problem
could last for weeks.
This is having a real economic impact.
Tourists are staying away, businesses cannot function properly, people are
falling ill and hospitals are filling. It is expected to cost the economy
millions, not to mention the cost in terms of health provision and the impact
on individuals' health. Long-term, it will have an effect on business
reputation, as well as place a strain on diplomatic relations between Indonesia
and its neighbours.
This is a huge and harsh reminder of the
reality of sustainability. It is far more pressing on the imagination and
conscience than any number of special events and global agreements. One aspect
of food pressure and deforestation is being brought sharply into focus in a
developed economic hub: No one is immune; we are all on the same planet.
Is this a view of things to come? If so, I
suggest we work together to do all we can.
David Jackman
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