History and Society: How climate change can have unequal effects on dif...

History and Society: How climate change can have unequal effects on dif...: Climate change is one of the most pertinent issues in the contemporary world and this is to such an extent that it has come to affect the ...

Environmental Ethics

Environmental Racism

One of the biggest costs of the rapid industrial development of the world is that there has been considerable environmental degradation. The result is that a significant number of environmental hazards have come to be experienced by individuals all over the world. However, those who bear a disproportionate brunt of the impact of environmental hazards tend to be people of color. It is this disproportionate impact that has led to a situation where the people involved have come to experience environmental racism. This paper seeks to show that tackling environmental racism is an essential part of ensuring that there is the observance of environmental ethics.

Environmental racism is a problem that is increasingly being observed in society. It has become so prevalent that a movement aimed at achieving environmental justice has become prominent as attempts are made to end this problem (Bullard, 1998). Ending environmental racism is tied to ethics because there is need to ensure that environmental hazards are brought to an end so that people of color do not continue being unfairly treated. People of color tend to be among those individuals in society who live in or are close to poverty meaning that they do not have the means to protect themselves from environmental hazards that they encounter (Pulido, 2000). It is therefore an ethical responsibility of both government institutions and organizations contributing to the environmental hazards to alleviate this problem.

Handling environmental racism as an ethical problem means that there has to be a concerted effort to make sure that those institutional rules, regulations, and policies that create environmental hazards are ended. This is especially considering that the government and corporations deliberately target certain communities of color for undesirable uses of land resulting in communities ending up being exposed to toxic or hazardous waste (Hamilton, 1995). The lack of observance of environmental ethics means that communities of color become disproportionately impacted by those industries that pollute the environment because the government is lax in the enforcement of regulations over these industries.

It is therefore essential for the government or its agencies to make sure that they take the initiative to uphold environmental ethics, especially in communities of color. This is because the latter tend to endure the most of environmental hazards such as toxic waste because they not only live in poverty, but their communities are often the target of irresponsible land use by polluting industries. Both government and corporations have to ensure that they observe and enforce environmental ethics when it comes to communities of color so that they can help end environmental racism.

Indigenous Peoples Rights

Indigenous people are those who are native to and are normally tied to the land. The result is that they rely completely on the land for sustenance while at the same time living in harmony with nature (Varese, 1996). Therefore, the observance of indigenous people’s rights is an important aspect of environmental ethics because it ensures that through working with indigenous communities, it is possible to preserve the environment in its natural state.

The belief by indigenous groups that people and the land in which they live are intertwined is essential in the achievement of environmental conservation (Schwartzman & Zimmerman, 2005). This is the reason why it is an ethical responsibility of policymakers to ensure that the rights of these groups are observed at all times because they help in achieving conservation and sustainability. Furthermore, ensuring that indigenous rights are protected means that these people can continue to live they way that they have for centuries without having their lives disrupted by the hazardous activities of corporations. Through these efforts, it becomes possible to preserve the environment while at the same time learning valuable lessons concerning the connection between man and nature.

The observance of indigenous people’s rights helps individuals learn more about the natural environment. This is because indigenous peoples tend to have intimate knowledge concerning natural animal and plant life. Since they live in an environment where they are able to observe natural plant and animal life, indigenous people are best placed to transmit information concerning their environment (Brosius, 1997). In addition, their dependence on the natural world for all of their sustenance means that it is the objective of the government to ensure that their environment it preserved in its current state. Indigenous rights also ensure that while the indigenous people are being protected from exploitation by corporations and polluters, they also actively participate in the conservation of natural ecosystems.

In conclusion, indigenous people’s rights can be considered an essential aspect of conservation that is tied to environmental ethics. These people tend to live in close touch with the natural environment because they have been able to create a balance where they get all that they require for their sustenance while nature thrives. Protecting their rights ensures that the natural environment is protected and conserved, and promotes efforts towards learning from these indigenous people who to live in harmony with nature. There is still a lot that can be learned from indigenous communities and it is important that their rights are fiercely protected because they constitute one of the few hopes for maintaining natural habitats in the world.

Is there such a thing as optimal pollution?

The question of whether there is an optimal pollution level is one of the most debated in the contemporary world. This is because there are considerable disagreements concerning what pollution levels can be considered either safe or hazardous to the environment (Mishan, 1974). However, it is essential to realize that pollution of whatever level is harmful to the environment and might end up causing considerable problems to natural ecosystems. Therefore, there is no such thing as optimal pollution because all levels of pollution, whether low or high, end up causing serious damage to the natural environment.

Optimal pollution taxes have been introduced to ensure that there is a level of regulation when it comes to the pollution done by corporations on the environment. While this tax was put in place with good intentions, it has been ineffective in addressing the issue of pollution. This is because a considerable number of corporations have ended up continuing with their activities without fear since they can simply pay a tax to cover for the level of emissions for which they are responsible. A consequence it that there has been a failure to regulate pollution and it has the potential of leading to a situation where environmental sustainability can no longer be achieved.

There is no such thing as optimal pollution because there is no way of accurately measuring the level of pollution that is being released into the environment. Furthermore, the impact of pollution cannot be measured because it takes place subtly and when the effects are discovered, it is usually too late to do anything about it. The impact of pollution, even if it is low, on the environment cannot be underestimated. This is because a series of low levels of pollution, when considered cumulatively, end up having a massive negative impact on the environment (Tahvonen & Salo, 1996). It is therefore essential that there is recognition that the belief in optimal level of pollution is inaccurate, and might lead to an environmental disaster.

In conclusion, the concept of optimal pollution is one that seeks to justify pollution rather than curb it. A significant number of major industries tend to subscribe to this concept because it allows them to continue with their operations with little fear of being checked by regulatory bodies. Finally, optimal pollution fails to address the need to protect the environment at all times because it gives an allowance to polluters to ensure that they advance their individual interests rather than those of the environment, which serve human, plant, and animal life.

References

Brosius, J. P. (1997). Endangered forest, endangered people: environmentalist representations of indigenous knowledge. Human Ecology, 25(1), 47-69.

Bullard, R. D. (1998). Anatomy of environmental racism and the environmental justice movement. Debating the earth: The environmental politics reader, 471-492.

Hamilton, J. T. (1995). Testing for environmental racism: prejudice, profits, political power? Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 14(1), 107-132.

Mishan, E. (1974). What is the optimal level of pollution? Journal of Political Economy, 82(6), 1287-1299.

Pulido, L. (2000). Rethinking environmental racism: White privilege and urban development in Southern California. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 90(1), 12-40.

Schwartzman, S., & Zimmerman, B. (2005). Conservation alliances with indigenous peoples of the Amazon. Conservation Biology, 19(3), 721-727.

Tahvonen, O., & Salo, S. (1996). Nonconvexities in optimal pollution accumulation. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 31(2), 160-177.

Varese, S. (1996). The new environmentalist movement of Latin American indigenous people. Valuing local knowledge: Indigenous people and intellectual property rights, 122-142.

Unilever and Sustainability

Introduction

Unilever is one of the largest companies in the world with a diverse number of brands that are very popular. This company has been able to ensure that it promotes its brands to such an extent that they are better known than the company itself. However, while this may be the case, in recent years, Unilever has become one of the global leaders when it comes to sustainability and this has been to such an extent that it is currently being consulted on the best ways to help advance sustainable business by the UN. The company’s recent history shows that it has been constantly attempting to ensure that it continues to expand in the global market while at the same time significantly reducing its carbon footprint. To achieve this objective, Unilever has sought to make sure that it develops its products in such a way that is not only efficient, but also significantly reduces its contribution to the global carbon footprint. Through its sustainable living plan (USLP), Unilever has sought to ensure that it is a world leader when it comes to businesses that promote sustainability in the wake of such global trends as population growth, emerging markets and environmental stress.

Sustainability Portfolio

Tomorrow	Clean Technology ·         Unilever has sought to ensure that it promotes the use of clean technology. This is in order to advance its long-term objective of halving its carbon footprint. ·         The development of clean technology has the potential of ensuring that there is an improvement in the process of environmental sustainability.	Sustainable Energy ·         Unilever’s vision of helping to build a world of sustainable business is one that is essential in the development of solutions to social and environmental problems. It has the ability to direct the company’s efforts towards helping in the creation of means through which these solutions can be effectively implemented. ·         Unilever’s vision is one the advances the need to ensure that there is the development pf new technologies and products that promote a high level of sustainability.
Today	Pollution Prevention ·         One of the biggest causes of pollution within the company is that it has a large number of brands all over the world. The action that it has taken to reduce its waste production in recent years has been ensuring that it sheds some of these brands in order to reduce its carbon footprint and in line with its vision. ·         The elimination of waste at the source has become a paramount objective of Unilever. It has sought to ensure that its products, especially the packaging of brands, are conducted in such a way that allows for recycling and environmental friendliness.	Product Stewardship ·         The implications for product design are quite positive because Unilever has already began an initiative, alongside partners such as Coca Cola, to ensure that its products contribute to sustainability. This means that in future, there will be an attempt to bring about cheaper and sustainable product designs for the market. ·         Reducing the impact of products while at the same time adding value is an achievable objective. With new technologies, it will be possible to produce products cheaply while at the same time reducing their impact on the environment.

 Pollution prevention, product stewardship, and clean technology

The pollution prevention measures undertaken by Unilever are quite significant especially considering the size of the company. One of the most important of these measures has been the reduction of the large number of brands that the company owns. Shedding some of the brands has ensured that the company is able to reduce its carbon footprint. In addition, Unilever has also sought to improve on its product design in such a way that only those products that are sustainable are placed in the market. The latter is related to product stewardship because it involves the development of products that are not only sustainable, but are also cheap. Finally, the use of clean technology has also become one of the most important aspects of Unilever’s vision because it has promoted the idea that the company needs to adopt the most efficient technology to advance environmental sustainability.

Sustainability vision

            The sustainability vision of Unilever, the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) is one of the most important examples of the sustainable business. This is because it shows the objectives of the company in the long-term while also allowing for a vision of the manner through which they can be achieved. Unilever has been able to make sure that it undertakes leadership in sustainable business in such a way that it has sought to implement its vision on the matter to reflect the changes that the company needs to achieve its objectives. In its pursuit of its vision, it has ended up in a situation where it has been able to become a leader in the process of sustainability. Unilever’s vision is also quite comprehensive when it comes to the way that it seeks to not only advance the company’s interests, but also those of the societies within which it has operations.

Conclusion

            One of the most important aspects of Unilever’s sustainability strategy is that it brings about an understanding of the need for businesses to advance environmental sustainability. In general, the company has proven to be quite strong in its initiatives, ranging from pollution prevention, sustainable energy, clean technology, and product stewardship. However, one of the biggest concerns about the company’s vision, which can also be considered its greatest weakness, is its stated objective of halving its carbon footprint by 2020. This objective is one that might not be feasible especially considering that it is one of the largest companies in the world and has numerous operations. While shedding some of its brands has allowed it to reduce some of its footprint, halving it, especially when its exact estimate is not known, might not be feasible. Despite this potential setback, Unilever still has one of the most comprehensive sustainability visions in the world, which has the potential of leading to the company’s achieving its environmental stewardship objectives. Therefore, the sustainability strategy that it has undertaken will help promote considerable growth for Unilever while at the same time reducing its carbon footprint.