Some 15 days ago Pope Francis addressed a group of French experts about the origin of his encyclical Laudato Si’ – which speaks of creation and the environment. In his address he spoke of his own ecological conversion, as he said that previously he had not appreciated enough the damage that was being done to the environment.
There is now general agreement (only those who are promoting specific selfish interests seem to disagree) that the current economic model is no longer sustainable, and the global economy needs to go through an ecological conversion as well. The concepts are there – we just have to put them into practice. We need to convert to a bioeconomy if we want future generations to enjoy the fruits of the earth as much as we have enjoyed them and continue to enjoy them.
A basic definition of bioeconomy would look something like this: the production and use of natural resources, using biological processes, that allow the provision of goods and services in an environmentally friendly way. Any economic model is concerned with the material well-being of the individual through the production and consumption of goods and services. What changes is the need to do it in an environmentally friendly way.
A number of considerations come to mind, all triggered by what has appeared in the media since the address of Pope Francis to this group of French experts.
The European Commission is a strong promoter of the bioeconomy because it is meant to reduce the dependence on natural resources, transform manufacturing processes and services provision, and promote sustainable production of renewable resources while growing new jobs and industries.
The economic justification for this conversion is that in the coming decades the world will witness increased competition for limited and finite natural resources, for example, fossil fuels. As the world population races to reach a total of nine billion in 30 years’ time, there will need to be a 70 per cent increase in the world food supply. The pertinent question is whether we will be capable to produce this amount of food, given the damage that we have been doing to the environment.
The thorniest issue when we speak on this subject is whether climate change is real or not. Businesses are increasingly recognising that climate change is real and that something must be done now, not at some point in the future.
A group of institutional investor organisations that collectively manage more than $47 trillion in assets has demanded that the world’s biggest corporate polluters back strategies to reach net-zero emissions, and promised to hold them to public account. They have written to 161 fossil fuel, mining, transport and other companies that are responsible for a high level of emissions, to set 30 climate measures and targets against which they will be analysed in a report to be released early next year.
A report by the WWF and the Zoological Society of London shows that on average, global populations of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles decreased by 68 per cent between 1970 and 2016. Also, 90 per cent of freshwater areas have been lost since 1700. This puts at risk the future production of food. We are exploiting and destroying nature on a scale that has never been experienced before, which is rendering our current economic model totally unsustainable. We will need to make fundamental shifts in how we produce food, create energy, manage our oceans and use natural resources.
Companies will also need to review their corporate social responsibility initiatives. Giving money for charitable causes can no longer been seen as fulfilling one’s duty to society.
Businesses need to be more aware of their impact on the environment and need to make their operations environmentally sustainable. They can no longer treat the human person as a consumer but as a citizen, who has a right to enjoy the environment.
In Malta we may not be facing issues such as the melting of glaciers, deforestation or animals becoming extinct. However, we also need to go through an ecological conversion. The damage we are causing to the sea around us, where increasing parts of the shoreline can no longer be enjoyed by the general public, is a case in point. The same applies to the countryside. This is not to mention the collateral damage caused by the construction sector on our health and mental wellness, through the noise and dust pollution it creates and the eating up of open spaces.
We need to understand, both in Malta and abroad, that there is really no plan B on this matter. Unless our economy goes through this ecological conversion, it will no longer be sustainable, and we will be condemning future generations to poverty and famine. I wonder how many are willing to own up to their children and grandchildren that they are causing them this damage.