Climate Change: Impossible Solutions
Without a doubt, one of the most important challenges facing humanity is dealing with the factors that alter the environment. Climate change, which is evident and observable, is identified as one of the mega forces that are affecting, among many other things, the growth of companies. Therefore, those that have not worked in this sense are destined to change.
According to the English economist Nicolas Stern, it is noted that, among other effects, this phenomenon will cause the global temperature to increase up to three degrees Celsius, which will cause losses equivalent to 20% of the World GDP in the year 2100.
Stern points out, however, that if you act in advance, its economic and social effects could be prevented and / or mitigated. Stern's proposal is based on immediately investing the equivalent of 1% of the world's GDP in strategies that reduce the effects that Greenhouse Gases (GHG) are producing, through activities that can provide conclusive solutions to the problem of climate change. To mention a few, there are: technological improvements in pollution control equipment; substitution of fuels and increased use of renewable energies; recycling of inputs; programs for saving and more efficient use of water and mixing clean energy; reduction of deforestation and forest development; that is, a responsible management of the environment.
For years the issue of global warming has been involved in two positions, which is adaptation to the inevitable and prevention, such as the proposal made by Stern, through concrete actions to reduce emissions of certain GHG responsible for global warming. planet. While it is true that there are a group of scientists who have argued that catastrophic visions have been adopted on this issue, which differ from reality (Bjorn Lomborg, among others), climate change is a challenge to our civilization with irreparable damage and losses, even if it is not a catastrophe of gigantic proportions.
In fact, there are also good scientific reasons to determine that there is a relationship with the phenomenon of global warming that will bring greater negative effects on the ecosystems themselves and the forms of life in the future. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 15 million people die each year due to the deterioration of the environment and climate change.
Those affected are especially the elderly and children in the poorest countries. The forecast is that climate change will continue to increase these mortality figures, considering that infectious diseases already have an incidence 15 times higher in industrialized countries, a proportion that rises up to 100 times in diarrheal diseases.
This organization estimates that a quarter of the global burden of disease is due to the gradual degradation of the environment.
In this area, the precautionary principle means taking steps to prevent emissions from increasing further. Thus, a greater environmental culture and measures that are within our reach to conserve the environment (citizen empowerment), of course contribute to the solution of the problem. However, the topic is also one of an economic nature that implies international cooperation and sanctioning those who pollute the most.
Indeed, according to various experts, environmental degradation in Mexico and the world is closely linked to market forces and the demand for traditional development processes (“Business as Usual”). So the challenge of sustainability goes through education and culture, but also through the new way of doing business under the triple bottom line: profitability, community support and environmentally friendly forms of production.
Experts have identified sectors of the industry that are most vulnerable to certain specific hazards associated with risks from climate change. Among these are: health care; tourism; aviation; transport; oil and gas; financial services, among others. A study by KPMG reports that the industries associated with these danger zones have obtained a high score regarding the risks they face and a relatively low one, in terms of their degree of preparedness to face it. Thus, companies that plan with the future in mind and adopt environmental management measures will undoubtedly be more profitable than reactive companies. In addition to this study of the correlation between risks of climate change and the preparation to face them,The same firm, in a more recent study on the ten mega forces that affect the growth rate of companies, identified seven of them directly linked to the environmental issue.
Unfortunately, the economic crisis that erupted in 2008 and which continues has caused, especially in some countries, that measures to mitigate and reverse environmental impacts have been postponed or wielded, arguing a greater loss of competitiveness in the short term, in particular, demands not only that it be adopted as a priority on the international agenda, but also on the national one. The challenge then is to have a longer-term vision, respectful of the physical environment. This with adherence to international protocols, especially in the countries that pollute the most (the United States and China); as well as the implementation of regulation and self-control policies, which give rise to severe penalties for offenders, to counteract the harmful effect infringed (Galindo, 2014).
Concept: Sustainability
Sustainability refers to the efficient and rational administration of resources, in such a way that it is possible to improve the well-being of the current population without compromising the quality of life of future generations. One of the main challenges Mexico faces in terms of sustainable development is to include the environment as one of the elements of competitiveness and economic and social development (PROMEXICO, 2016).
Environmental Sustainability is understood as the commitment to the efficient use of natural resources, representing a fundamental value in the solid growth of the company (ALSEA, 2016).
Green technology
In recent years, the word "green" has gained a place in tech companies, on government agendas, and, of course, in homes as well.
Green technology is the design of solutions and / or devices based on eco-efficiency, that is, they guarantee manufacturing and operating safety while reducing their environmental impact. The key is to "produce more with less."
However, the "green" has also become an excellent advertising hook to attract consumers who want to be aware of the environment (Nivel, 2016).
Keys to a Green Product
To be able to know with certainty if a product meets the requirements of ecologically friendly technology, you must pay attention to the following characteristics:
- Lower electricity consumption: New appliances consume less electricity. This is especially important in countries where electricity is generated in power plants that use coal as the base fuel.
They usually carry a label or make it clear in their advertising.
- Reduction in the use of toxic elements: This is essential when talking about a green product. We can be in front of a device with low energy consumption, despite being manufactured with highly dangerous materials for people and nature. If so, when we dispose of that product the toxins will go into the environment. Therefore, it should be noted that the purchases we make are not made with lead, mercury, cadmium and barium, otherwise you will own E-waste or electronic waste (hazardous waste that has been consumed or discarded).
Examples of Green Technologies
Below are some examples of green technologies that have been developed in the world (Silveira, 2016):
1. Sustainable towers
The city of Wuhan, in China, will not only have the tallest towers but the most environmentally friendly. They will clean the water by taking it from the lake, filtering it, and then returning it. They will be covered with a coating that absorbs pollution and will have vertical gardens. They will be self-sustaining with wind turbines and solar panels, which will generate power for the towers and the surrounding area. It is estimated that they will be completed in 2018.
2. Energy harvester in concrete
Imagine that with a simple step you are generating energy that can be used in lamps and machines. The kinetic energy generated is not enough to run a generator, but it is enough to turn on street lamps. It has not yet been installed on the streets due to a lack of durable and waterproof materials, but it is a matter of time before it is commercialized.
3. Buildings eat smog
In Mexico, it was possible to create a building facade similar to a honeycomb, which increases the surface of the place, and therefore neutralizes the contamination of 8,750 cars in one day. It is created with recycled elements, and works in contact with ultraviolet rays.
4. Cold pavement
On hot days, the pavement is the main cause of the city feeling hot. Cold pavement not only lowers the temperature, it lowers the smog. Its function is to reduce global warming by generating more light, and therefore reducing the consumption of electrical energy and making less air conditioners are needed.
5. Cleaning plastics in the ocean
Plastics are extremely useful in our daily lives, but once discarded they are too polluting. Besides taking several years to disappear, marine animals are damaged all the time. That's why young Boyan Slat started working on something to fix this problem and created a plastic processing machine. The collection towers created take the garbage that comes through the current and the wind, and separate it from the water that becomes clean again. Although it costs a few million, it is much cheaper than other methods that have not been proven efficient.
6. Ecological concrete
This technology takes nitrogen oxide and converts it to non-harmful nitrogen components. In Holland it has already been tested, and although it is very effective it has a cost problem. It also uses titanium dioxide but in a larger quantity, which makes it more expensive than other concretes.
7. Air purifying tiles
For a technology to be really useful it must be designed to be used daily, and there is nothing better than tiles on your roof, always working. What is done is to cover them with titanium dioxide, very useful for cleaning the air, which works as a catalyst by oxidizing nitrogen oxide and organic components into soluble nitrate. With a thick layer of this component, greenhouse gases can be significantly reduced. Each house would be able to eliminate much of the pollution from the environment .
Conclusions
Caring for the environment is a concern that gains momentum as scientists, politicians and society as a whole realize its importance. Gestures such as separating waste according to its composition or recycling the day oil used for cooking contribute positively to the maintenance of the environment and is something that anyone can do from home.
Large companies also have in their power to protect the ecosystem and the truth is that great strides are being made in this field. Innovation and new technologies put sustainable progress within reach that is already beginning to emerge, although there is still a long way to go.
For this reason, there are initiatives such as that of the North American magazine Newsweek, which annually examines companies from all over the world, assessing which of them are doing the best in the field of caring for the environment. In its latest ranking, it indicates which are the greenest companies based on three factors: the impact on the ecosystem that the practices of the firms have, how they control this influence on the environment and their level of transparency in this regard.
Thesis proposal
Identification of an area of opportunity to convert SMEs into sustainable corporations using green technologies for the production of their goods and / or daily operation.
Gratitude
I thank the Technological Institute of Orizaba for providing the tools and human capital to develop me professionally and the MAE Fernando Aguirre y Hernández, professor of the subject of Fundamentals of Administrative Engineering for promoting learning through practice among his students, thus encouraging proactivity and genuine learning.
References
ALSEA. (October 17, 2016). ALSEA. Obtained from ALSEA:
www.alsea.net/responsabilidad-social/sustentabilidad-ambiental
Galindo, LI (2014). Climate Change: Impossible Solutions. Ideas CSR, 32-35.
Nivel, A. (October 17, 2016). High level. Obtained from High Level:
PROMEXICO. (October 17, 2016). PROMEXICO. Obtained from PROMEXICO:
Silveira, K. (October 17, 2016). VIX. Obtained from VIX:
www.vix.com/es/btg/curiosidades/7823/7-tecnologias-verdesque-podrian-salvar-al-mundo
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