Business & Environment includes student work on the interactions between organisations and the environment, and the implications of this for sustainable societies.
Initially, I was critical of business engaging in sustainability. I saw CSR as a gateway to reducing the role of the state (Hanlon & Fleming, 2009) and having potential to allow unlimited growth, both economically and technologically (Heikkurinen, 2016). Having previously been influenced by concepts such as steady-state economics (Daly & Farley, 2011) and Degrowth...
Pasi Heikurinen’s questions over technological innovation providing sustainability solutions (2016) made me think. Previous messages from study/experience hold technology as the solution to society’s troubles; energy, poverty, and climate change (Lomborg, 2001). Optimistically, I still follow the technocentric point of view, the converse not offering feasible solutions to the problems. However, Heikurinen’s reasoning is valid;...
Following the completion of a degree in Environmental Sustainability, I believed that the fundamental role of businesses was to drive profit maximisation, rather than act within the ecological boundaries of Earth’s ecosystem. The notion that the “social responsibility of businesses is to increase profits” was emphasised during lectures on the business case for sustainability (Friedman,...
Prior to analysing the relationship between business and sustainability, I accepted that, because corporations are so ingrained in societal organisation, it would be much more progressive to help reform their internal operations, rather than question their very existence. However, this view has been inverted by the plethora of literature available which debunks the theoretical insights...
Our discussions of voluntary regulation leading to political corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the limitations of the business case for CSR have most influenced my thinking on business and sustainability. Friedman’s view that businesses are primarily responsible for making profits for owners/shareholders (Friedman (1970), has been superseded by the argument that corporations are responsible for...
At the beginning of this module my knowledge regarding the business world was very limited. The discussions throughout that led to questioning the motive of why a business engages with sustainability were the most influential and thought provoking. I feel this led to deep questioning of every aspect that was covered. There were two main...
One of the most interesting and thought-provoking arguments for me was the paper by Heikkurinen (2016). However, I have to question the feasibility of technological releasement as a way to stimulate degrowth. How would we co-ordinate enough people to engage in this practice, considering the capitalist and techno centric society we appear to live in...
Ecological Economics addresses the interdependence and coevolution of the economy, society and the natural environment, understanding the economy as an embedded subsystem of the planet. Student work in this section discusses social and environmental issues from this perspective.
Overfishing is one of the greatest threats our oceans face. By catching more than the seas can sustain, humanity trespasses the limits of the environment and compromises the well-being of future generations. According to FAO, overexploitation of fish stocks has reached levels of 31% supported by unprecedented increases in production and global consumption . Moreover,...
If trends continue, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the World’s oceans than fish [1]. This is an especially shocking prediction seeing as though only 30 years ago, thanks to the publication of the Brundtland report, we set sustainable development as a goal of mankind [2]. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which...
“The explanation for hunger is more complex than “too many people” combined with “low farm productivity”” (Peoples and Bailey [1]) Food insecurity is defined as being a situation that exists when people lack secure access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development [2]. Historically food insecurity was understood to...
I’ll never forget my snorkelling trip to idyllic Indonesia. Imagine white sandy beaches and a stunning maze of vibrant coral. Now litter the sand with chocolate wrappers and replace the sea bed with a colourful picture of carpeted plastic. This is the reality - our oceans are a giant dustbin. [1] Eight million tonnes of...
Tropical forests cover just 7% of total land but within them contain 50% of all plant, insect and animal species, making them one of the richest ecosystems on Earth [1]. But they are disappearing fast. Storing roughly 25% of terrestrial carbon, tropical forests contribute significantly to climate change mitigation [2], so it is vital to...
A modern cure to the epidemic of unemployment The financial crisis of 2008 has had devastating impacts on the world's economies[1]. While economic recovery has lately been witnessed in several countries, the young generation still bears the consequences of the economic recession[2]. Several European countries have been hit hardest with youth unemployment rates ranging from...
Surveys taken in the US show that from 1958 to 2014 trust in government fell from 73% to 24%. From 1972 to 2014 trust in each other fell from 46% to 31%. These statistics are indicative of a wider international problem. Since the 1980’s we have seen the liberation of finance, the deregulation of banks,...
Recently, New Delhi became the latest city to be placed in the global media spotlight for its air quality issues. With concentrations of the most harmful ‘PM2.5’ particles at over 15 times the safe level, the Indian capital became the temporary face of a problem affecting 98% of cities in the developing world. Deaths attributed...
Air pollution is often seen as a product of modern living, of industrialisation and urbanisation and is essentially taken for granted. A primary source of urban air pollution in the 21st Century is the transport sector. It’s apparent now more than ever that there are too many cars on the roads, with emissions outpacing the...
The extent of poverty in the UK In 2016 the government announced that there were 14 million people living in relative poverty in the UK. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) released a report earlier this year identifying a lack of progress in poverty rates over the last decade and the weakest growth in UK...
Everyone knows we are amid a housing crisis. We hear politicians blaming property developers and see newspapers pointing the finger at immigration. But the issue of property shortage only scratches the surface of our housing catastrophe, which is now at a critical point. House prices have doubled in relation to incomes since the turn of...
Over the last 35 years in Canada, as many as 4000 Indigenous women and girls have been murdered or have gone missing [1]. These staggering numbers reflect a homicide rate seven times that of non-indigenous Canadian women [2]. Organizations like the UN Human Rights Council, Amnesty International, the Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women...
October 2017 saw the UK National Health Service (NHS) begin a 3-year trial of the Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) drug Truvada1. This once-a-day tablet, likened to taking the contraceptive pill, could significantly reduce the likelihood of uninfected but ‘high-at-risk’ people contracting HIV amongst certain communities2.The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) became the first body...