Promoting the introduction of eco-protective processing methods and technologies through the setting of international minimal standards.

Transcription

1 Promoting the introduction of eco-protective processing methods and technologies through the setting of international minimal standards. Since the mid 1960 s, questions concerning a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future have become a staple of nearly any political agenda. For decades, global leaders (at least most of them) have advertised and declared their commitment to ensuring that, in future, practice and policy will change for the better of our environment and, ultimately, our people. However, as global temperatures continue to rise, resources deplete and our very future as a human race shifts ever closer to the rather worrying prospect of being left with no future at all, we must not only come to the conclusion that progress is necessary - we must be making it. In recent history, milestones such as the Paris Climate Accord or the Sustainable Development Goals [ SDG s ] have marked significant progress in terms of illustrating that, in order to move forward, we must stress the importance of revision - reworking existing patterns and practice, ensuring that more eco-protective methods and technologies are introduced as a means of adapting already established industry to our increasing demand for resource and energy efficiency. It is clear that, without a significant shift in the ways we produce and consume, we will soon step outside the operating space in which humanity is able to safely live on this planet. As such, the urgency of finding ways of using resources efficiently, generating less waste and enabling a more equitable standard of living worldwide has never been greater. Perhaps more than any other issue facing our global community, the question of enabling sustainable production and consumption requires fundamental changes in society and culture -- changes in how we think. At this year s conference, it will be our task to examine the feasibility and nuances of establishing international minimal standards as a means of promoting sustainable production. Tristan Strzelczyk, Chair of the Environmental Committee

2 Contents i. Unsustainable Production - An Introduction ii. Definition Of Key Terms - International Minimal Standards - Sustainable Production - Resource Efficiency and Cleaner Production ( RECP ) - Safer and Responsible Production iii. Major Parties Involved Unsustainable Production AN INTRODUCTION When faced with this years question of promoting the introduction of eco-protective processing methods and technologies through the setting of international minimal standards, a second glance should, ideally, leave one with two questions: what do unsustainable processing methods really mean, and how can the introduction of international minimal standards help foster a more eco-friendly approach to the way we produce things? In aims of dodging a tumble into the abstract for the time being, allow me to introduce an entirely practical example: farming. Alongside the fruits of the oil and manufacturing industry, agricultural produce is linked to some of the world s most wasteful - and widespread - unsustainable practices. A recent INKOTA report claims that: because of low revenues, farmers can no longer invest in the maintenance of existing crops, or in the planting of new ones on their plantations. As a result, and, rather, as a means of securing their survival, many resort to practices that are inherently destructive. Instead of replacing old and diseased plants, many farmers use new farmland - at the expense of sustainable, ecological and diversified farming. By intensively farming their land, they wear out the soil and are subsequently cornered into further expansion. This has implications not only for the environment, but also to farmers income. Up to 40% of a farmer s crop is lost every year due to incorrect maintenance and unsustainable production. In conclusion, instead of increasing farmers revenues, current farming practices can cause lower yields and harm the environment. Such practices are therefore unsustainable.

3 Lets take a closer look: The Underlying Dimensions of Unsustainable Agriculture The Widespread Use of Agricultural Chemicals & Pesticides, which are often: - toxic to human health, - harmful to wildlife, pollinators and the environment as a whole Monocultures Overproduction and Food Waste Poor Working Conditions Global Corporate Agribusiness Global corporate agribusiness is driving small local producers out of business because small producers cannot compete with low commodity prices on a global market. Many farmers struggle with poverty because of the pressure for low global commodity prices in a race to the bottom. Resource Exhaustion Global pressure to increase production has resulted in many farmers producing crops on the entirety of their land. In many cases, there are no more buffer strips to protect waterways from erosion or runoff, or for habitat that remains for native species. Deforestation / The Clearing of Natural Vegetation As more and more land is cleared and heavily plowed to make way for agriculture, natural habitat is being destroyed and the land is becoming increasingly degraded. Negative impacts of such practices include: exposed topsoil being blown away by wind or washed away by rain, erosion due to deforestation, increased flooding, and sedimentation in rivers, lakes, and coastal areas. Raising animals and plants separately instead of in a carefully managed agricultural system Using manufactured fertilisers to feed the soil Water Waste / Inefficient Irrigation

4 Using this approach (of underlining flaws in existing practice), we are able to better understand the fundamental issues at the heart of this issue - albeit within the fairly limited context of farming - in order to proceed with going about solving it. That only leaves the deciding question of how, the answer to which lies in two guiding principles: international regulation and standardisation. In essence, the aim of international minimal standards is simple: ensuring that, as a result of an internationally agreed, standardised approach, unified action is taken to prevent the ongoing practice of unsustainable production. In this case, the setting of minimal standards might introduce, say, a limit on the amount water that can be used in relation to how much land and what crop is being farmed - effectively guiding farmers towards adapting their practices in ways that minimise ecological and environmental impact. In aims of combatting poor working conditions, minimal standards could, for example, aim to introduce minimum wages, or guidelines on how many hours a farmer can be expected to work. The possibilities are truly endless, and, as delegates, it will be your task to suggest and evaluate creative, effective and feasible solutions beyond the framework of a single industry. Definition of Key Terms International Minimal Standards As previously mentioned, the essence of what the of international minimal standards is securing unified action by means of regulation. Regulatory tools have been used by governments for a long time and are the basis for environmental policy making all over the world. Regulations can mandate or prohibit specific behaviours or the use of a certain technology, define a level of sustainability performance to be achieved. In order to ensure compliance, regulations are often used in conjunction with monitoring and sanctioning mechanisms. Regulations that are of relevance for sustainable production can be divided into the following three general categories: environmental quality standards, technical/ emission standards and restrictions and bans. 1. Environmental quality standards specify a minimum desired level of environmental quality, or the maximum level of pollution of a certain medium. An example is quality standards for urban air. 2. Technical/emissions standards specify either mandatory technical equipment to be used in certain applications, or maximum levels of emissions or resource consumption for specific products or systems. For example, many countries require automobiles to be equipped with catalytic converters (a technical standard) and, in addition, they regulate maximum emission values for certain pollutants for vehicles (an emission standard).

5 3. Restrictions and bans refer to the direct limitation of an undesirable behaviour or technology, or restrictions on the sale or use of certain products/substances with negative environmental and health impacts. An example is the prohibition of lead additives in gasoline or a ban on dumping end-of-life vehicles in nature. In order to be effective, regulatory tools need to be complemented by some form of monitoring system. It is also necessary to specify who is responsible for taking action in case the regulations are violated. These enforcement measures can add considerable costs to the policy implementation. Sustainable Production ( & Consumption ) The concept of SCP (Sustainable Consumption & Production) has evolved over time and is / can be defined in a number of ways. A commonly used definition is: the use of services and related products which respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimising the use of natural resources and toxic materials as well as the emission of waste and pollutants over the life cycle of the service or product so as not to jeopardise the needs of future generations (ISSD 1994). Another widely used and more recent definition is provided by UNEP: SCP is a holistic approach to minimising the negative environmental impacts from consumption and production systems while promoting quality of life for all (UNEP 2011). The International Institute for Sustainable Development list 3 other definitions of sustainable consumption and/ or production and, without doubt, there will be even more by other bodies. Regardless of definitions, the underlying principles of SCP must be clear. The UNEP defines these underlying principles as follows: 1. Improving the quality of life without increasing environmental degradation and without compromising the resource needs of future generations. 2. Decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation by: Reducing material/energy intensity of current economic activities and reducing emissions and waste from extraction, production, consumption and disposal. Promoting a shift of consumption patterns towards groups of goods and services with lower energy and material intensity without compromising quality of life. 3. Applying life-cycle thinking which considers the impacts from all life-cycle stages of the production and consumption process.

6 4. Guarding against the re-bound effect, where efficiency gains are cancelled out by resulting increases in consumption (UNEP 2011). Resource Efficiency and Cleaner Production (RECP) RECP builds upon cleaner production to accelerate the application of preventive environmental strategies at company level to processes, products and services. Practices and applications of cleaner production have been around for several decades. The term Cleaner Production (CP) was defined by UNEP in 1990 as: The continuous application of an integrated environmental strategy to processes, products and services to increase efficiency and reduce risks to humans and the environment. This definition has been used as a working definition for most programmes related to the promotion of cleaner production and is still relevant today. CP addresses problems at the source, using a product lifecycle approach that considers techniques, process and service dimensions. In recent years, as economic and environmental crises have intensified, UNEP and UNIDO introduced resource efficiency alongside cleaner production (RECP) to advance production efficiency, environmental management and human development. This strategy integrates the strengthened lifecycle perspective which looks at the point of extraction to the point of disposal, including the critical issue of resource scarcity. Involvement in all phases of the product lifecycle allows RECP to investigate ways to improve the efficiency of production and modify or minimise inputs to achieve triple bottom line improvements. Resource efficiency achieves environmental management through the minimisation of waste and pollution. Production efficiency makes business sense as it foregoes the use of unnecessary materials and reduces energy use in producing goods and services. Lastly, humans benefit from the efficient and cleaner processes as it promotes judicious use of resources. RECP reduces environmental impact and pollution by minimising the use of resources to lessen waste within the production system. These strategies, in effect, attempt to exemplify a preventive stance towards environmental management, choosing pollution prevention rather than end-of-pipe treatments. Measures include adoption of environmentally sound technologies, introduction of process modification and substitution of raw materials. (UNEP 2011) Safer and Responsible Production A related approach, Safer and Responsible Production, allows a company to ensure both the safety and health of workers in facilities that manufacture, store, handle or use hazardous substances, and the safety of communities around such facilities, as well as the prevention of releases of these substances into the environment. Safer and responsible tools, guidelines, and management principles can be implemented at site and local level, and along the value chain, to establish an environmentally sound management system that reduces the risks to humans and pollution to the environment. Safer production is a step towards the prevention of industrial/ technological accidents by identifying risks and providing measures to control or manage them.

7 At the national level, safer production is promoted through policies supporting the development of chemical accident prevention and preparedness programmes. At the local-level safer production implies preparedness for emergencies in communities where hazardous installations are located. Major Parties Involved The United Nations Environment Program The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is a leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. UN Environment work encompasses: Assessing global, regional and national environmental conditions and trends Developing international and national environmental instruments Strengthening institutions for the wise management of the environment Mission "To provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. Important / Useful Documents: The Sustainable Development Goals: ; Specifically Goal 12 Annual UNEP Report: Sustainable Consumption & Production: A Handbook for Policymakers