alex hetherington

Green solutions:NO TIME FOR CYNICS

ALEX HETHERINGTON - Benefits Beyond Compliance

PRESENTATION TO

110% Green

August 16 2016Cape Town


The environmental cost of powering up

Every kilowatt-hour of Eskom electricity (1kWh):• 0.55Kg of coal• 1.35l of water

• 1kg of CO2


The environmental cost of powering up

Ave. SA med-high income residential house - 12000kWh• 6.6 tonnes of coal• 16.2 kilolitres of water• 12 tonnes of CO2


QUESTIONABLE PREDICTION

RESOURCES:

CLAIM:

Harrison Brown, Nat. Academy of Sciences

(Scientific American, 1970)

- lead, zinc, tin, gold and silver gone

by 1990

- copper by 2000



REALITY:

US Geological Survey (2004) estimates at present rate of mining, known reserves of copper to last another 33 years.

• Zinc, 25 years•Silver, 14 years•Tin, 23 years•Gold, 16 years•Lead, 23 years


Population

CLAIM: 1. Paul Erhlich (The Population Bomb, 1968)

- World population, 2000 = 7 billion.


REALITY:

1. World Pop, 2000 = 6.1 billion


THE REALITY?

Hometruths

Concept of the Ecological FootprintEcological Footprint

represents the area of biologically productive land, air and water a population requires to provide the resources it consumes.


ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

The globe is in “ecological overshoot”.

-1.7 global hectares to sustain one person.

(WWF, UN, OECD, Stockholm Environment Institute, Sustainable Europe Research Institute, SustainAbility,

Global Footprint Network, Wuperthal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy)

We are consuming 2.6ha per person (2014).


ECOLOGICAL OVERSHOOT


REGIONAL FOOTPRINT


MEANING OF ECOLOGICAL OVERSHOOT

“Overshoot” leads to, among others:

1. Depleted groundwater

I.e. the very assets on which our economy is dependent.

2. Collapsing fisheries 3. CO2 accumulation in atmosphere4. Deforestation


MEANING OF ECOLOGICAL OVERSHOOT

Business cannot function if ecosystems and the services they deliver - like water, biodiversity, fibre, food and climate - are degraded or out of balance.

“

”- WORLD BUSINESS COUNCIL FOR SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT


QUESTION

Where did the message go wrong?

Doomsdayers Vs. Ecological footprint realists

Persistent problems


CLIMATE CHANGE

I am convinced that this challenge, and what we do with it, will define us, our era, and, ultimately, our global legacy. It is time for new thinking.

- Ban-Ki-Moon, United Nations Secretary-General.

“

”


CLIMATE CHANGE

Fact:

Without GHGs, ave. surface temp of the earth would be 33°C colder.

Fact:

GHGs at levels unprecedented in last 650 000 years.

Fact: CO2 @ 280 ppm in pre-industrial times, now 400 ppm.

Fact:Methane (CH4) levels increased 150% since pre-industrial times. N2O increased 18%.

(IPCC, 2001)


CLIMATE CHANGE

Thank you

Alex HetheringtonTel: 021-789-0448

[email protected]/alexhetheringtonwww.alexhetheringtonsustainabilityblog.com

alex hetherington

Government & Nonprofit