"For missing a nail the horseshoe was lost, for lack of a horseshoe the horse was lost, for lack of horse the rider was lost."
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), American physicist and politician
1.- Introduction
It is very likely that a high percentage of those responsible, and therefore concerned about our near future and that of our children, have spent these past days pending information that in all types of media, be it press, radio, television or internet, were appearing as derived from the relevant debates -in which the issue of the Environment, logically in addition to the Human Being, was at the center of them- that scientists, technical experts and politicians held in the so-called World Summit on Sustainable Development that, sponsored by the UN, was held in the South African city of Johannesburg. But, if it seems to the reader,Let's "rewind" some events in contemporary history a bit to delve into what has been the antecedents of the - fortunately in crescendo - current awareness of environmental issues.
2.- Development
2.1.- The Future of the Planet in Danger
For the second year of the 1960s, a book written by Rachel Carson and titled "Silent Spring" - which we could translate as "The Silent Spring" - became popular in the Kennedian USA of America. In its pages, its author highlights the contamination that was being generated by a product put on the market by the chemical industry - the infamous DDT pesticide - commonly used in agriculture to protect crops. In all likelihood, this and some other unfortunate negative health events on the planet, not too far back in time, served as a knock-on effect on the perception of many people in the most economically developed countries that something could affect the balance of life and promoted their interest in ecological issues,that together with a strong awareness by governments and other public authorities, resulted in a significant amount of legislation being prepared and formulated in the following decade.
After some time, and if to a higher level of existing awareness we add the undeniable loss that human activities are creating in the environment (without going any further, is it necessary to remember what eminent world scientists have said in relation to the «Change Climate ”and the never seen“ brutal ”floods in Central Europe this summer?), Today the term“ ENVIRONMENT ”is in the mouth and mind of hundreds of millions of inhabitants of planet Earth.
Although there is no doubt that in Spain and Latin America the awareness linked to what is called "environmental issues" manifests itself after that in the "more advanced" nations, it is equally true that in our Hispanic lives the Environment is also finally ! "It has become fashionable". For some years now, and primarily with the help of the media, we have been becoming aware of the serious ecological problems that are spreading across the globe every day: The aforementioned "Climate Change" and its active collaborator, the "Greenhouse Effect ", The growing hole in the" Ozone Layer ", the dangerous advance of desertification, the notable pollution of the sea, the" smog "or polluting fog of the largest urban concentrations,the enormous accumulations of garbage in the no less imposing landfills installed in the surroundings of large cities, etc., etc.; effects all started significantly as a result of the development policies of the post-war 50s and happy 60s, the population explosion and other contemporary phenomena, and that despite the fact that in recent years there has been progress in the treatment Of these thorny environmental issues, they are already negatively influencing our QUALITY OF LIFE, and - if this "unnatural" dynamic that generates the aforementioned nonsense is not amended - much more so in future generations.effects all started significantly as a result of the development policies of the post-war 50s and happy 60s, the population explosion and other contemporary phenomena, and that despite the fact that in recent years there has been progress in the treatment Of these thorny environmental issues, they are already negatively influencing our QUALITY OF LIFE, and - if this "unnatural" dynamic that generates the aforementioned nonsense is not amended - much more so in future generations.effects all started significantly as a result of the development policies of the post-war 50s and happy 60s, the population explosion and other contemporary phenomena, and that despite the fact that in recent years there has been progress in the treatment Of these thorny environmental issues, they are already negatively influencing our QUALITY OF LIFE, and - if this "unnatural" dynamic that generates the aforementioned nonsense is not amended - much more so in future generations.and -if this "unnatural" dynamic that is generating the aforementioned nonsense is not amended - much more so in future generations.and -if this "unnatural" dynamic that is generating the aforementioned nonsense is not amended - much more so in future generations.
2.2.- In Search of Solutions
In the correction of all these impacts - leaving aside the sad phenomenon of consumerism in the most developed nations -, the main people responsible for pollution and environmental degradation belong to the fields of industrial activities, the energy sphere and transportation. Therefore, no one disputes that it is necessary to take action now, particularly in companies in those sectors, actions aimed at the active protection of the environment for all.
Nobody escapes that one way that many of these organizations - be they chemical factories, be they cement industries, be power plants that consume non-renewable energies, etc. - have to "amend the plan", at least partially, is to change for the future, such as putting in place adequate systems that are capable of carrying out -as Quality is managed- a correct management of the Environment; that is, the so-called "Environmental Management Systems" (abbreviated SGMA).
Fortunately, in Spain and Latin America -although with a gap of two decades behind the emergence of the "certificationism" of the Assurance Systems within the Quality movement- the boom in companies' EMS certifications, forced « to get the diploma »many times not for ethical reasons but due to customer demands or image improvement, etc., has started. It should be noted here that throughout each of the last two years there has been - to take the Spanish case as an example - an increase in the number of organizations certified according to the UNE-EN ISO 14001 standard of the order of 100%.
In this area, in the face of the present and the future, a decisive role is played not only in raising awareness but also in training the people of our companies, with the objective of achieving effective Environmental Protection within the framework of an unavoidable sooner or later and socially just «Sustainable Development».
2.3.- Why the Environmental Management in the Company?
Specifying more, we can certainly give some strong reasons for this in the form of advantages due to its inclusion in the general management of each organization, based on the fact that today environmental issues act on companies, providing them with intense tensions, essentially from sources how:
• The existence of progressively more extensive and demanding legislation, • Client companies begin to require our factories to have an EMS according to international regulations, which must be certified by an accredited body, • Pressures of all kinds to protect the already flimsy environment, exerted by consumers, environmental groups, neighborhood associations, etc., and
• Ethical responsibility for the FUTURE of Humanity.
All this generates a thorny and complex situation that consequently demands - for a suitable management that leads to its "normalization" - the adoption of a rational and technical methodology.
With the inclusion of Environmental Management in the Global Management of the company, we will achieve some not inconsiderable advantages such as:
1. Reduce the risk of heavy fines and penalties, legal costs for complaints, etc.
2. Facilitate -through the continuous improvement implicit in the most commonly used EMS- a "more sustainable" evolution of the productive processes.
3. Strengthen the image of the industry, so useful at a commercial level.
4. Make it possible to minimize costs due to accidents and decontamination that may be required.
5. Decrease the amount of insurance premiums for civil liability.
6. Stay in your market sector, as it is already demanding the establishment and certification of the EMS.
7. Etc., etc.
Finally, a suggestion: why those managers and executives who have not yet done so, are not seriously thinking about undertaking this inexcusable obligation to initiate correct environmental management in their organizations, be they industrial or not? Leaving aside "purely classical" reasons, the Social Responsibility that they have is demanding it, a responsibility that will be increasingly valued by consumers. I am convinced that, just as the vast majority of people "on foot" understand that in order to cure their illnesses they must go to doctors without having previously studied Medicine or Biology, people are already understanding the seriousness of the "environmental problem »Of the planet without the need to study higher scientific studies at the University.
So let's get to work?
3.- Bibliographic Reference
CADRECHA, JUAN J. (2001), ´Environment for All´, 1st edition, Septem Ediciones SL, www.septemediciones.com, Oviedo (Spain).
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