The colour of money

It hasn't been a good year for the environment. We had the Copenhagen letdown, the hacked climate e-mails, and BP's colossal oil leak, which continues to pump an estimated 1.9 million litres of toxic ooze into the ocean every day. Coincidentally, it hasn't been a great year for the economy either, with the effects of the recession still casting a pall over the global marketplace.

But, while the former events generated lots of media exposure, plenty of debate, and a wishy-washy document on global warming and climate change, the other generated lots of media exposure, plenty of debate, and one of the biggest regulatory and financial rescue efforts in a century.

The problem with things like the long-term destruction of the earth, the degradation of natural resources, and ongoing threats to biodiversity, is exactly that - they are protracted events of monumental change in various interconnected systems, spanning decades. Which doesn't make for catchy headlines or demand immediate interventions or threaten one's livelihood... yet.

This means, most of the time, the threat to the environment hovers as a sort of uneasy spectre in the back of people's minds, like a pending dentist appointment. It's worrying, but not a pressing concern, and not something many people feel they can do a whole lot about.

The recent recession, on the other hand, has sudden impact. Tell someone they won't be able to pay the bond on their house next month, it's an immediate priority. Tell them their house might not have soil to stand on in 50 years' time, not so much.

And so, trillions were poured into stimulus packages and bailouts, into saving the economy - our modern-day life force - to keep the wheels turning and the banks afloat. Drastic cuts in expenditure followed, as did an emphasis on efficiency at all (or rather, the lowest) costs. Inevitably, this meant fewer resources used, fewer resulting carbon emissions, and as a by-product, a move towards “greener” processes.

And frankly, if that's the way the first strides towards a leaner economy are realised, so be it. It's not exactly breaking news that human beings aren't the most altruistic of creatures.

Interestingly, the fact that the global shift towards efficiency was stimulated by a financial crisis rather than an environmental one meant changes occurred much faster than had it only depended on green motivations. In many ways, it established the technological foundations and behavioural changes that can be leveraged going forward.

The move to efficiency happened much faster when spurred by financial concerns than environmental ones.

Lezette Engelbrecht, copy editor and journalist, ITWeb

Others argue the credit crunch came as a blow to corporate sustainability policies just getting off the ground. A year or two ago, the environmental agenda had become a major influence, with consumers demanding transparency and companies vying for the title of green champ. Then the recession hit, obliterating everything with a relentless focus on cost-cutting, as survival became a priority. Yet, any plan involving a reduction of some kind, whether it be power consumption, spending, or hardware, usually has positive knock-on effects for the environment. Tighter budgets saw the implementation of many processes green policies would have advocated anyway.

However, while more efficient systems may have been adopted, their motivation moved the emphasis onto the bottom line. With the environment coming second fiddle for so long, it risks falling off the radar. A recent poll by energy company EDF shows concerns around climate change are waning, after a cruel winter and the furore over climate statistics. Similar results were reflected in Nielsen's global study in December last year, and Gallup's annual poll of the US public in March.

As the world moves to a recovery period, it's imperative these initial changes be supported by a renewed and concerted focus on the pressing issues of global warming, climate change, and dwindling natural resources. Basic energy-saving policies must be strengthened by investments in renewable energy sources and new spending guided by a long-term vision towards sustainability.

The recession meant people had to turn to alternatives like video conferencing instead of expensive flights, and more flexible working patterns. Now that the acceptance barrier is broken, this needs to evolve into a whole new way of working. It's going to require a complete overhaul in corporate culture. Flying and commuting will become the exception rather than the norm. Sometimes you'll have to meet-and-greet in person, but people are growing increasingly comfortable with doing things online and technology has reached the stage where it's no longer unnatural or disruptive.

Now, the green momentum that had picked up a few years ago can resume, with much of the groundwork done. As these two movements converge, investments in more efficient working can increasingly be complemented by policies that emphasise environmental responsibility, as incoming legislation begins penalising wasteful practices and operations.

Because a time will come when environmental stresses do become the story of the day, and no amount of money we throw at it, or accounting wizardry we apply, will provide clean water or restore delicate ecosystems or drive back the oceans or lower the temperature.

In the end, money may make the world go round, but it's not much use if there's no world left to turn.

* Lezette Engelbrecht, ITWeb copy editor and journalist, finds it interesting that green's two main connotations - as a signifier of money and the environment - both emerged as such powerful global forces recently. It provided a stark reflection of priorities, but also brought important gains in streamlining the business world. Importantly, the recession taught us to take nothing for granted, as the seemingly fundamental systems we depended on for years crumbled. Now that we re-focus attention on global environmental challenges, the same mentality needs to be applied to the mindless exploitation of natural resources. Experience is a hard teacher; let's hope we've learnt our lessons well.