Environment

The issue of climate change threatens to have a significant effect on our day-to-day lives in the future, but many people are already starting to become more aware of how their actions adversely affect the environment. This has led to a new emphasis on ethical and sustainable production and consumption, with consumers willing to pay a premium to ensure that their products meet the high standards they set.

Global climate change is an inevitable part of the earth’s long term cycle. However, there is increasing concern that the actions of man may be accentuating the problem. Recent freak weather conditions in the UK and the rest of the world have intensified the debate, both in the media and amongst the academic community, as to how real the threat of climate change really is and how much influence we can have upon its future direction. The discussion has also become political, with all of the UK parties looking to integrate policies into their own manifestos, which have formally been championed by fringe parties such as the Green Party. Environmentalists have targeted areas, such as air travel, as key contributors to total carbon output and are putting governments and legislators under pressure to impose taxes or limits upon airplane fuel.

The increasing costs of raw materials such as oil & gas and an increased social awareness of their impacts has also raised concern about individual carbon footprints, a phenomenon which is creating a new generation of eco-conscious consumers who will often pay a higher price in order to reduce the environmental impact of their consumption. As a result of this public pressure, companies have become keen to stress their ‘green’ credentials and reassure potential customers that their organisation is the environmentally friendly choice.

Heavy industry has been targeted for reform; pressure is mounting for countries to adopt the carbon trading protocol, outlined in the Kyoto treaty, in an attempt to reduce global pollution. Whilst Kyoto does represent an attempt at an international standard, it remains a voluntary, rather than mandatory, initiative. It has also been undermined by the main polluters, such as the USA and China, who have so far failed to endorse the scheme.

In the future concern for the environment will generate a number of opportunities, new markets will emerge and new skills will be required to develop the technologies and approaches necessary to reduce our impact on the natural environment. This will include reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and developing new technologies which provide use with energy in a sustainable way.