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This section provides a very brief overview of some major areas of concern with links to relevant web sites.
Richard Dixon’s presentation at the Cannybuyer seminar [Adobe pdf] on “The impacts of purchasing decisions on the environment and society” provides a vivid account on this site of some important issues.
In this section of the site we examine:
There is mounting evidence that the increased concentrations of “greenhouse gases” in the Earth’s atmosphere that have been produced by human activities over the last 150 years are leading to climate change. These changes are likely to lead to changed rainfall patterns, a changed distribution of marine life, an increasing area of deserts, and raising sea levels that will drown low lying regions. The most significant volumes of human induced greenhouse gas emissions arise from the burning of fossil fuels. Hence any organisation that is serious about reducing its environmental impact has to give serious attention to the amount of fossil fuel that it uses in all its business operations – heating, energy and transportation. And it needs to give similar attention to the greenhouse gas emissions of its suppliers. Helpful information on these issues are given at the following web sites.
To see discussion of business impacts of climate change; http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/acbe/pubs/ukcip/acbe_ukcip_comments.pdf .
For access to UK Climate impacts programme see http://www.ukcip.org.uk/climate_change/what_is_clim.html
Sustainable sourcing must consider the impacts that are had by production processes on water resources. This is especially likely to be an issue if sourcing from a developing country where general pollution controls may be less stringently enforced and where resources of treated water are limited.
For a general introduction to the importance of water to society see the United Nations environment programme web pages http://www.unep.org/wed/2003/keyfacts.htm
For a good source of links (go beyond the kids stuff at the beginning) see http://www.ukrivers.net/pollution.html
For a comprehensive guide to water pollution see the world bank web site:
http://lnweb18.worldbank.org/ESSD/ardext.nsf/18ByDocName/SectorsandThemesWaterandEnvironmentWaterPollutionControl
Biodiversity is a short-hand term for the wealth of species of animals, plants and micro-organisms in the world. As a result of climate and other environmental changes, and natural selection, species have always become extinct, but rates of extinction has accelerated over the last 150 years due to human-induced habitat destruction, pollution and over-hunting. Large spectacular animals threatened by extinction now such as the Sumatran tiger attract international attention, but the habitat loss associated with the threat to such large mammals leads also the the daily extinction of other species, many not yet even described. Species loss impoverishes the earth for future generations, is regarded by many as morally wrong, can deprive local peoples of their livelihoods, destroys for ever the living genetic material that can be a source of future drugs, and can de-stablise the functioning of ecosystems.
A good general starting point on the web for information about biodiversity and economic activity is the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) which provides information for policy and action to conserve the living world. WCMC publishes a “Biodiversity Series”, often in partnership with IUCN, WWF, UNEP or other organisations. This series focuses on providing support to the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. A relevant report on this is a Global Climate Change and Biodiversity report which can be accessed via this site http://www.unep-wcmc.org/climate/index.html
Another important web site for biovidiversity is the home page of the international convention of biodiversity http://www.biodiv.org/default.aspx
The World bank estimated in 1999 that 1999 1.2 billion people world-wide had consumption levels below $1 a day -- 23 percent of the population of the developing world and 2.8 billion lived on less than $2 a day [http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/mission/up2.htm]. The Bank states that “Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not being able to go to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time. Poverty is losing a child to illness brought about by unclean water. Poverty is powerlessness, lack of representation and freedom” http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/mission/up1.htm
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) summarize the development goals agreed on at international conferences and world summits during the 1990s. the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations, and the World Bank have devised a comprehensive set of eight goals, 18 numerical targets and over 40 quantifiable indicators to assess progress. The eight goals are:
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