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Disaster looms if we failas the planet's caretakers
By Wu Jiayin |
August 15, 2009, Saturday
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Print Edition
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ALTHOUGH much has already been said about global warming, given its severe consequences we can never emphasize too much the importance of reducing its impact.
That's why I recommend the book "Transient Caretakers" by Mervyn King with Teodorina Lessidrenska, which centers on addressing the problem of global warming to make life on Earth sustainable.
In the authors' view, each generation, though whose existence appears to be transient when compared with the long lasting planet, has the responsibility to take care of Earth's future.
Regrettably, the people today are too obsessed with material comforts, with serious consequences, notably global warming.
"The past 50 years of human activity have changed ecosystems faster and more extensively than in any comparable previous period of time in human history," as the 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment wrote.
Many Chinese are still smarting from the strike of Typhoon Morakot last week.
Such destructive typhoons are only one of the unusual climatic events that are taking place as a result of global warming.
In fact, global warming could bring about many more horrible consequences, as King and Lessidrenska discuss in detail in the book.
The glaciers are melting.
An increase of even half a degree Celsius could raise sea levels 8 to 88 centimeters, devastating the 200 million people who live near oceans.
And it is forecast that the Arctic Ocean will have no ice by 2100.
If nothing is done to stop the trend, many island nations will vanish. Coastal cities such as Shanghai, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Venice and New York will eventually be under water.
Other dire consequences of global warming include more extreme weather, the extinction of more and more plants and animal species, the reduction of drinking water, and so on.
The authors' response to the great challenge is: "As transient caretakers, we have a duty to save the planet."
Rather than empty words, they offer a hopeful prescription for sustainability and change.
Some of their suggestions are not innovative.
For example, they think corporations should not only report their finances, but also their "integrated performance" -- social, economic and environmental operations.
This is already the practice of many enterprises.
But unlike some optimists who place all their hope on the advancement of science and technology, or some critics who tend to pass the buck to governments, King and Lessidrenska make their argument fairer by saying that all elements of society and all people share the responsibility in making Earth sustainable.
So they call for the joint efforts of corporations, governments and private citizens in the campaign against global warming.
This idea is valuable in recognizing that all the parties concerned have interactive influence on the deeds of each other.
For example, there is increasing voice calling for corporations to pay attention to environment.
But without government intervention and customer demand, most corporations are unlikely to go green at the cost of their profits.
According to the authors, there are numerous areas in which the cooperation between government, business and individuals can make big differences, including the development and use of green power, the conservation of water, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and so on.
As they observe, "Sustainable cities are generators of business ideas and opportunities -- from the development of waste collection and recycling businesses, to local small heater-power plants."
That's why I recommend the book "Transient Caretakers" by Mervyn King with Teodorina Lessidrenska, which centers on addressing the problem of global warming to make life on Earth sustainable.
In the authors' view, each generation, though whose existence appears to be transient when compared with the long lasting planet, has the responsibility to take care of Earth's future.
Regrettably, the people today are too obsessed with material comforts, with serious consequences, notably global warming.
"The past 50 years of human activity have changed ecosystems faster and more extensively than in any comparable previous period of time in human history," as the 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment wrote.
Many Chinese are still smarting from the strike of Typhoon Morakot last week.
Such destructive typhoons are only one of the unusual climatic events that are taking place as a result of global warming.
In fact, global warming could bring about many more horrible consequences, as King and Lessidrenska discuss in detail in the book.
The glaciers are melting.
An increase of even half a degree Celsius could raise sea levels 8 to 88 centimeters, devastating the 200 million people who live near oceans.
And it is forecast that the Arctic Ocean will have no ice by 2100.
If nothing is done to stop the trend, many island nations will vanish. Coastal cities such as Shanghai, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Venice and New York will eventually be under water.
Other dire consequences of global warming include more extreme weather, the extinction of more and more plants and animal species, the reduction of drinking water, and so on.
The authors' response to the great challenge is: "As transient caretakers, we have a duty to save the planet."
Rather than empty words, they offer a hopeful prescription for sustainability and change.
Some of their suggestions are not innovative.
For example, they think corporations should not only report their finances, but also their "integrated performance" -- social, economic and environmental operations.
This is already the practice of many enterprises.
But unlike some optimists who place all their hope on the advancement of science and technology, or some critics who tend to pass the buck to governments, King and Lessidrenska make their argument fairer by saying that all elements of society and all people share the responsibility in making Earth sustainable.
So they call for the joint efforts of corporations, governments and private citizens in the campaign against global warming.
This idea is valuable in recognizing that all the parties concerned have interactive influence on the deeds of each other.
For example, there is increasing voice calling for corporations to pay attention to environment.
But without government intervention and customer demand, most corporations are unlikely to go green at the cost of their profits.
According to the authors, there are numerous areas in which the cooperation between government, business and individuals can make big differences, including the development and use of green power, the conservation of water, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and so on.
As they observe, "Sustainable cities are generators of business ideas and opportunities -- from the development of waste collection and recycling businesses, to local small heater-power plants."
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