Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
By contrast, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute,
world military expenditure in 2012 was US$1,753 billion, the equivalent to 2.5 per
cent of world GDP. According to the World Bank, Brazil spent 1.4 per cent, India
2.5 per cent, China 2 per cent and the US 4.7 per cent of their GDP on the armed
forces.
There is another dimension to the green economy, too, and that is in the all-
important area of job creation. The International Labour Organization (ILO, 2012)
estimates that around 600 million new productive jobs will need to be created in
the global economy within a decade in order to secure sustainable economic
development and social cohesion. Since the financial and economic crisis of 2008
there has been a continuous crisis in global labour markets. Even so, by 2020 there
will still be something like 900 million workers living with their families and earning
US$2 a day or less. Optimistically, the UNEP believes that up to 60 million of these
could be 'green jobs'. However, UNEP also offers some cautionary words:
a transition towards a green economy does not automatically lead to more
decent work. The implementation of adequate policies and strong labour market
institutions will be required. These policies and institutions need to promote a
just and inclusive transition. A broad social acceptance for such a transition is
also required and this is only possible if peoples' livelihoods and working
conditions are taken into account by policy-makers.
(2012a: 3)
Not surprisingly, most economists on the Left believe that aligning profit seeking
with environmental goals, meaningful work and employment remains basically an
illusion (Foster, 2002; Smith, 2011). The privatization of the commons and the
further commodification of nature will simply continue. Thus, as the UNEP (2012b)
Briefing Paper 'Valuing Nature' reported, a valuation exercise for Kampala, Uganda,
demonstrated that the economic value of Nakivubo Swamp could be estimated as
between US$1 million and US$1.75 million per annum, because of the nutrient
retention and wastewater purification services it provides for the nearby city.
Corporate social responsibility
In
Corporate Social Responsibility: Making Good Business Sense
(Holme and Watts,
2000: 6), published by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development,
corporate social responsibility (CSR) is defined as 'the continuing commitment by
business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development, while improving
the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community
and society at large'. The UK Government advocates CSR as a way of meeting the
challenge of more ethical, resource-efficient, sustainable consumption and production,
and it is increasingly promoted by the World Bank, the UN, multinationals and many
national governments. Its advocates view it as a private sector development that
incorporates the goals of inclusivity, equity, environmental sustainability and global
poverty reduction. Despite its growth and support by some high-profile business leaders,
such as Richard Branson, Stuart Rose and the late Ray Anderson, however, neoliberal
economists like Milton Friedman view CSR as a distraction from the core business of
business - developing new markets, making a profit for shareholders, and so on.
