| The notion that the lack of environmental stewardship has occasioned climate change has been embraced by the Environmental Community Health Organisation (ECHO), an entity which has been lobbying for a sense of ownership of the natural environment.According to ECHO Chairman, Royston King,Rob Gronkowski Patriots Jersey, there is no doubt that the climate is changing. “Just feel the sun these days and you know that there is something different about it. Eleven of the 12 hottest years globally on record were in the last 12 years.“Average global temperatures are already approaching one degree Celsius higher than in pre-industrial age.”And these developments King have attributed to green house gas emissions from human activities, many of which are conducted under the contested notion of development.But according to the Chairman unless development can be sustained it will transmogrify into something else from which no one can benefit.“We at ECHO, have always argued and still do argue that… we mortals have not been good stewards of this planet. It is not that we are incapable of it but we just assume that the environment would last forever in spite of our friendly environmental activities.”He emphasised the point that fighting climate change demands the return to the fundamental value of good environmental stewardship. King stressed the point that every citizen has a stake in a healthy environment, adding that “No government, corporation or community can proposer in a state of environmental uncertainty because everything else would be uncertain including our future.”According to King, an uncertain future could unravel the intricate values of communities woven by the forces of history, traditions, local knowledge, geology, experience and culture.These values, as a result, could serve to make communities special, different as well as interesting and progressive.And it is within communities, King stressed, that the existence and development of businesses are permitted.He noted that a community’s perception of any corporation is informed by the reputation, image, values and practices of a company. “In this 21st Century a cardinal value of a modern and progressive corporation is environmental stewardship.“One approach to this is corporate social responsible corporations demonstrating their ability to respond to the needs of the local communities in which they operate. In all local communities there is an urgent need to secure the integrity of the natural environment and its resources.”Therefore, King noted that corporations should be able to respond because if there was no environment then there would be no community and ultimately no businesses.He underscored that it is clear that the environment is fundamental to the existence of community and business. He disclosed though that many corporations understand and appreciate the known facts, even as he cited the efforts of Coca-Cola, an international company.However, King highlighted that at least one local business entity has introduced green bags as an alternative to the plastic. But according to him it is yet worrying that in the local business sector that stakeholders are not pushing local corporations to be more accountable for the way they treat and use the natural environment.“For example the public has no information on how much of what natural resources manufacturers are using to make their products; the public has no information on the impact of certain activities and the use of certain chemicals on the ecology of the environment and consequently their local communities.“How many people in our local communities have ever stopped to ask how many lakes, streams and rivers were polluted to make a product? Or how many trees were destroyed to construct a bridge, a road or some other infrastructure.“How many consumers are demanding that their local newspaper or television channel flag up more on what is happening with the environment in their local communities?”King speculated that in the retail industry no one is calculating the impact of all the plastic and non-biodegradable materials, used for packaging on the environment.In the local market, he said, there appears to be no evidence that the majority of consumers are engaged in ethical buying.Due to the fact that businesses are not being made to account for their stewardship of the environment, there seems to be a lack of motivation for green leadership in the local business sector. But according to King until corporations and business recognise their role in climate change generation, accounting and reporting is likely to remain a challenge. |
