Walking towards sustainable development

Two significant events took place last week, which may not be very significant in themselves, but are symbolic perhaps of a powerful trend that seems to be taking place in the developed world. The very forces that have in the past contributed to an unprecedented level of environmental degradation are now at work to move the world towards a new balance that includes environmental protection in the decisions made by the consumer and big corporations. The first of these events was a meeting attended by the chairpersons of some of the world?s largest corporations, an Under Secretary General of the UN, the Administrator of UNDP, and a small number of academics like me to discuss the role of the global corporation in the 21st century. Amid the sylvan surroundings in Aspen, Colorado, this group of 23 participants discussed threadbare every aspect of corporate social responsibility, the expectations of civil society, and plans that were developed for the participants to implement in their own respective spheres of operation. Coincidentally, a second similar event was organized by the Ford Motor Company at Dearborn, Michigan. Ford had gathered together a daunting array of environmental NGOs for the occasion which was attended by the top echelons of Ford, including chairman Bill Ford. Incidentally, this 160 billion-dollar turnover company is indirectly responsible for about two per cent of the world?s total emissions of greenhouse gases and serious local environmental problems today. A number of task forces were set up headed by the top managers of the corporation to examine and follow up all the suggestions made at the conference, which would reinsure Ford?s image as a radically different organization with a strong commitment to provide mobility to the human race in an environmentally friendly manner. So is there a message in events of this type that might give hope? Is this the start of a larger trend, and if so, when will the Indian corporate leadership launch a movement in the same direction? Consumers have to signal their disapproval of products that pollute, and industry will respond surely and swiftly.