We need to reduce the
environmental impact of society to a level
that the Earth's self-recovery capability
can deal with.
|
Three P's
BalanceTM: Representing the Relationship
between the Global Environment and Society
The environmental
impact of economic activities in the past
was small enough for the natural environment
to recover unaided. However, environmental
impact has grown rapidly and steadily since
the Industrial Revolution to the point where
an area equivalent to three earths will
be needed by 2050. Companies hold the key
to restoring the environment. The reason
companies should be more serious in assuming
the leadership in environmental conservation
becomes clear if we consider how the three
P's (planet, people, and profit) in environmental,
social, and economic activities have changed
over time. Analyzing the relationship between
the economy, society, and the Earth after
the Industrial Revolution makes it easier
to understand why companies need to be more
serious in their commitment to environmental
conservation. Such analysis also shows us
the kind of world we should pursue.
 |
Environmental
impact was smaller before the Industrial
Revolution. |
The environmental
impact of economic activities was smaller
before the Industrial Revolution and small
enough for the natural environment to recover
from unaided.
|
|
 |
After the
Industrial Revolution, damage to the
natural environment continued to increase
until recently. |
The Industrial Revolution,
which began in the United Kingdom, quickly
spread throughout the rest of the world
and opened an era of mass production, mass
consumption, and mass disposal. As shown
in Figure 2, people began acting as if
they were not a part of the natural environment,
and the damage caused by society to the
natural environment drastically increased.
In recent years, the environmental impact
of human activity has increased beyond the
Earth's ability to recover, and that has
led to global warming, the depletion of
the ozone layer, the submersion of land
due to the rising sea level, epidemic diseases
making their way northward from southern
regions, and an increase in the number of
people suffering skin cancer caused by strong
ultraviolet light. These problems placed
stress (A) on society and the economy, and
society at a standstill, in turn, placed
stress (B) on the economy. Currently, environmental
conservation is a global issue, and companies,
which are major economic players in society,
are required to be serious in their commitment
to environmental conservation. Without showing
commitment to environmental conservation,
companies will not be able to gain support
from society at large.
|
|
 |
At present,
the establishment of a resource-recirculating
society is underway and being carried
out in phases. |
People are paying
more attention to activities that reduce
the amount of damage being done to the natural
environment, including the sorting of waste,
recycling, and energy conservation. Reducing
the amount or resources consumed and the
amount of waste discharged is possible if
we endeavor to recycle resources instead
of disposing of them. There is a growing
need for manufacturers to promote energy
conservation, resource recycling, and smaller
products with longer lifecycles to provide
the maximum benefit to society and companies
with minimum resources. Not only are global
companies asked to take into account social
responsibilities in the countries and regions
where they engage in business activities,
but they are also asked to support and promote
the awareness of environmental conservation
activities of companies and regions that
are expected to make significant economic
progress in the future and to achieve their
goals with minimum environmental impact.
In addition, it is important to improve
the self-recovery capability of the natural
environment with such efforts as improving
forest ecosystem conservation.
|
|
 |
We are aiming
to create a society whose environmental
impact is below the level that the
self-recovery capability of the natural
environment can deal with. |
To pass on the valuable
global environment to future generations,
people need to recognize that they are a
part of nature and should strictly limit
their environmental impact to a level that
the self-recovery capability of the natural
environment can deal with. It is therefore
important to set clearer goals to prevent
global warming and pollution and to save
energy. For example, the reduction target
of CO2 emissions is generally
based on the 1990 emission level, but in
the future we need to limit emissions based
on the estimated emission level that the
self-recovery capability of the Earth could
deal with. To help the natural environment
recover, we need to establish more definite
industrial and corporate goals. In order
to overcome the most serious threat to our
own existence, we need to face these challenges,
being totally aware of environmental conservation
and innovative in our efforts to achieve
our goals.
|
|
|
|
|
