Protecting the environment, as one of the most important challenges that humanity has begun to face, must entail a firm commitment by society aimed at protecting our environment.
This commitment must be based on the conviction that the only way to deal with environmental issues is through solutions on a global scale and through development, known as Sustainable Development, where not only economic but also social and environmental aspects are considered, and which is defined as: "Satisfy the needs of the current generation without compromising the possibilities of future generations to satisfy theirs."
All life processes are characterized by the continuous changes that occur in them. Insofar as the changes have taken place in the socio-economic, political and cultural spheres, they have also occurred in the strategy of attention to environmental problems.
Many efforts have been made to understand the complex and interdependent relationship between human activity and the environment, but making further progress in establishing environmental programs depends on new genuine cultural changes taking place in society. It is necessary to advance in the direction of achieving a greater integration between life forms and material development with environmental interests.
In Cuba, the conservation of the environment and the protection of natural resources are carried out on a scientific basis, there are optimal conditions to safeguard nature for the benefit of current and future generations, man being the most important. The bases are created to develop the Corporate Environmental Management Systems, training environmental managers and encouraging entrepreneurs to incorporate the environmental component as an element of competitiveness in their economic activities. All of this has allowed advances in the design of policies and concrete actions in environmental care, although there is still much to do.
Management
Management is characterized by a broader vision of the real possibilities of an organization to resolve a certain situation or reach a certain end. It can be assumed, as the “disposition and organization of the resources of an individual or group to obtain the expected results”. It could be generalized as a way to align efforts and resources to achieve a certain goal.
Joan Amat, (2000) defines: “Management is to direct the actions that constitute the concrete implementation of the general policy of the company, is to make decisions aimed at achieving the objectives set, on the other hand, Production Management is a set of responsibilities and tasks that must be fulfilled so that the actual production operations are carried out respecting the quality, deadline and cost conditions that emerge from the objectives and strategies of the company ”.
Professor Hugues Jordán, (1999), defines Management as «directing the actions that constitute the concrete implementation of the general policy of the company and making decisions aimed at achieving the established objectives».
Maritza Hernández, (1999), in her doctoral thesis states that: "management is the process by which objectives are formulated and then the results obtained are measured to finally guide action towards permanent improvement of results".
For the author, one of the most complete definitions is defined in the Methodological Guide for conducting performance audits. National Audit Office, October 1996), referring to the fact that “Management includes all the activities of an organization that imply the establishment of objectives and goals, as well as the evaluation of its performance and compliance; in addition to the development of an operational strategy that guarantees its survival, according to the corresponding social system ”.
The authors agree with all the authors who refer and consider that management is characterized by a broader vision of the real possibilities of an organization to resolve a certain situation or arrive at an established end, it allows the orientation of the functions that help to take decisions aimed at achieving the goals set, is to measure the results achieved to subsequently guide the work towards the permanent improvement of the system, aimed at achieving the planned objectives.
Environmental Management from a general perspective
From the beginning of the decade of the sixties of the last century, awareness began to spread throughout the world of the limited resources available for development and, consequently, of the need to make more rational use of them.
Currently, the planet is under great pressure, resulting in transformations that have not yet been fully understood, much less resolved.
The demands of the world population for the available natural resources have almost tripled in the last 50 years.
At the United Nations Conference on the Environment in Stockholm 1972, the environment was defined as “the set of physical, chemical, biological and social components capable of causing direct or indirect effects, in a short or long term, on living beings and human activities ”.
At the Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education, the definition of the environment was again discussed: “… it has now been agreed that the concept of the environment should encompass the social and cultural environment and not only the physical one, so the analyzes that they carry out must take into account the interactions between the natural environment, its biological and social components, and also cultural factors… »
In our country, the definition of the Environment is given in Law No. 81/97, "On the Environment", article 8 as a "system of abiotic, biotic and social elements with which man interacts, while adapting he transforms it and uses it to satisfy his needs ”.
The protection of the environment is one of the most important challenges that humanity has begun to face, and there must be a firm commitment by society aimed at protecting it, which is why environmental management is necessary within all organizations.
Protection and projection to the environment is a requirement that becomes more relevant for the survival of companies. These should increasingly focus on preventive measures, that is, organizations must establish an environmental management system that allows them to be in compliance with all the provisions in force in environmental regulations. This management can be defined as those aspects of the overall management of an organization, including planning, which must develop, implement, achieve and maintain an environmental policy and objectives.
Environmental management is a process that is aimed at solving, mitigating and / or preventing environmental problems, with the aim of achieving sustainable development, understood as "that which allows man to develop his potential and his heritage biophysical and cultural and, guaranteeing its permanence in time and space ”.
Environmental management, according to Law no 81/97 of the Republic of Cuba in article 8 also defines as, “the set of activities, mechanisms, actions and instruments, aimed at guaranteeing the administration and rational use of natural resources through conservation, improvement, rehabilitation and monitoring of the environment and the control of human activity in this sphere. Environmental management applies the established environmental policy through a multidisciplinary approach, taking into account the cultural heritage, the accumulated national experience and citizen participation ”.
Environmental management in organizations should be focused, according to Rodríguez (2001), “as the requirement that acquires greater relevance for the survival of companies. These should focus on planning that involves the establishment of standards, preventive measures, indicators that can measure control, these tools being so that management can reduce the polluting load and obtain benefits as it tries to depilate the environmental impact of its activities".
The fundamental objective of environmental management is to achieve sustainability in development, protect the resource base and environmental quality, avoid environmental degradation and improve the quality of life.
Companies are currently faced with the need to incorporate environmental management practices, as a factor of strategic development and competitiveness, if they intend to make their way in an increasingly developed market, demanding and concerned about the environment.
Environmental management, when integrated into economic objectives, pursues the efficient use of resources, the reduction of costs, increasing profitability and competitiveness, as well as the identification of economic opportunities, organizational techniques to prevent and reduce pollution and risks.
The authors define environmental management as mechanisms, actions and instruments to guarantee the rational control and administration of natural resources, through regulations, norms, institutional and legal provisions, with the objective of improving and conserving the environment, in correspondence with factors internal and external; cultural and political.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT IN THE WORLD
“The forests disappear, the deserts extend, billions of tons of fertile land go to the sea every year. Numerous species become extinct. Population pressure and poverty lead to desperate efforts to survive even at the expense of nature. The solution cannot be to prevent development from those who need it most. The truth is that everything that contributes to underdevelopment and poverty today constitutes a flagrant violation of ecology. Use all the science necessary for sustained development without contamination. Pay the ecological debt and not the external debt. Hunger disappear and not man. Egoisms cease, hegemonisms cease, insensitivity, irresponsibility and deception cease. Tomorrow it will be too late to do what we should have done long ago. (Fidel Castro Ruz,1992).
Rapid changes in the environment are profoundly altering the relationships between humans and the ecosystems in which they live. These changes influence the population. The loss of biological resources, the destruction of ecosystems associated with industrial and commercial development, climate change, urbanization and modern agriculture, have caused disruptions in the integrity of the environment, affecting patterns of health and nutritional status.
The environment, had its incipient affectation in the spontaneous use that was object in the primitive community. The problems, affectations, their continuous squandering developed and gradually expanded in the slave and feudal regimes. They manifested themselves more sharply during the evolution towards capitalism and have worsened under imperialism.
Ecological problems, due to their global nature, affect all countries in the world, regardless of the prevailing economic-social formation but with specific characteristics due to the particularities of the superstructure and the economic base of each nation.
In a world of complex relationships between all biotic and abiotic components of the environment, an environmental impact in one place will influence the quality of the overall environment. At the same time, various types of environmental impacts have been concentrated and aggravated in certain places, as a consequence of political, economic and social causes, as well as the ecological effects produced by these causes.
The global environment manifests, increasingly, a greater deterioration due to the indiscriminate use of natural resources and the insufficient attention, in general, that is given to the solution of the negative effects that this produces on living beings, including populations. human.
Thus, it has happened with deforestation, desertification, the exhaustion of fishing banks; often due to poverty, lack of environmental controls, regional and global trade provisions and the demand for natural products in the markets.
Human beings have been able to modify the environment through their activities. As the population grew, improving and increasing technology, more significant and generalized problems appeared.
The rapid technological advance produced after the Middle Ages culminated in the Industrial Revolution, which brought with it the discovery, use, and exploitation of fossil fuels, as well as the intensive exploitation of Earth's mineral resources. It was with the Industrial Revolution when human beings really began to change the face of the planet, the nature of its atmosphere and the quality of its waters.
In this sense, it is recognized that the problems of environmental protection, which gradually arose in the previous centuries, were sharply exacerbated in the second half of the 20th century by the Scientific-Technical Revolution, carried out in many parts of the world. world, in the conditions of capitalist and socialist relations of production that failed to reconcile the triad: economy-production-environmental protection.
In this way, the Scientific-Technical Revolution caused the decrease of some forms of dependence that man has on the environment; but instead of them, new more complex and acute forms are presented that oblige to take special measures for the transformation and protection of the environment, creating a productive technology that guarantees the production needs for the existence of man.
It is recognized that the vertiginous development of the necessary Scientific-Technical Revolution has had an unfavorable impact due to not being harmonious, in general, with the preservation of the environment.
Since its emergence in the early 1970s, environmental policies have evolved considerably, due in large part to the proliferation of problems that industrialized countries have had to cope with, as well as the need for effective integration. economic and environmental policies and the application in environmental management organizations.
To the problems that have existed for some time, such as industrial pollution and the deterioration of the environment, the global ecological balance is also added, so that both national and international policies on the environment increasingly occupy an important place in the field. of economic policy.
There are different International Declarations whose purpose is to set out the general principles that should inspire the actions of States and of Society to achieve better protection of the environment. We highlight three of them for their special historical interest:
- Stockholm Declaration, 1972 of the United Nations on the Human Environment. It insists on the right of man to live in a quality environment and on his "solemn obligation to protect and improve the environment for present and future generations". It also highlights the importance of education in environmental matters. World Nature Charter, approved in a plenary session of the United Nations in 1982. It places special emphasis on the preservation of genetic heritage: “to ensure a sufficient level in all populations of living beings around the world, granting special protection to the most unique or those in danger. " On the other hand, it insists on the need not to waste natural resources and to take into account the long-term capacity of natural systems to sustain populations.Declaration on Environment and Development, approved by the United Nations Conference in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. This conference consolidates and proclaims the idea of "sustainable development" internationally.
The great interest in environmental problems has made us understand the importance of having a global vision of the Earth. The duration of our planet cannot be calculated, since renewable and non-renewable resources do not have a depreciation method that gives exact times of total consumption, much less a restoration and renewal count.
In the study of environmental problems numerous sciences come together: biology, geology, physics and chemistry and other sciences that are essential for their study, but so are economics, accounting, law, religion, ethics, politics and other social sciences.
In environmental issues, it will be very common not to find unique solutions to difficulties. Sometimes there will be a range of solutions and at other times there will be no clear solution and we will have to choose the one that best suits the circumstances in which we find ourselves.
Today it is recognized that man, throughout his evolution, has been developing lifestyles incompatible with the environment. The accelerated deterioration of the biosphere has been contributed by technological and industrial development without rationality and now it is gradually understood, as a trend, that it is an error to consider that only with the massive introduction of technological and scientific-technical advances, will the basic needs of the population.
The environment has become a differentiating element for companies. Society, customers, investors and other entities demand correct environmental behavior from the industry, as well as the development of products and services that contribute to the protection of the environment or that at least do not affect its deterioration.
The new millennium meets the countries of the world with a clear objective: to design policies and instruments aimed at achieving sustainable development, which implies simultaneously achieving goals of economic growth, social welfare and environmental sustainability.
With the aim of promoting the continuous improvement of the results of industrial activities in relation to the environment, the Environmental Management Systems and Environmental Audits regulated by the ISO 14000 International Standards, developed within the International Association for Standardization, have emerged. born with the intention of applying worldwide. (Poveda, 1997).
Environmental problems cross borders and require effective international cooperation for their resolution. On the other hand, many natural spaces, although they are located in specific countries, have been declared World Heritage sites. All this has motivated that in the environmental field there are international declarations and agreements up to state and municipal legislation.
From the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, to HABITAT II, held in Istanbul, in (1996) have shown that environmental problems occupy an increasing role in the general program of the environment and development. The movement for environmental protection is especially focused on sustainability, since the environment and sustainable development are closely linked, and constitute an inseparable unit.
In this regard, the authors agree with everything stated on the subject, but it should be noted that environmental management seeks to achieve an adequate balance for economic development, improvement of the quality of life of the population, rational use of resources and conservation of environment, through the consistent administration of all these resources, cultural training and values where it is necessary for the entire universe to take an iota of consciousness on the subject so that our species and the others that still exist do not perish because our world is on the way to extinction.
CONCLUSIONS
1. Environmental Management is an aspect of great importance for all spheres of life, the material presented includes criteria and evaluations by researchers on the subject.
2. The analysis of the specialized literature revealed the lack of a bibliography regarding the topic discussed and allowed us to recognize the need for the use of good environmental practices.
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Co-author: MSc. Migdalia Alavarez Peña
