There is a wide spread of opinion out here and no doubt some truth lies in all of it; from the smooth transition to a low carbon future of Wal-mart to the apocalyptic vision of Truthdig below.
However, the ‘One Planet Equation’ is immutable and rules all, we can ignore it but we cannot escape it. The societies and organisations that recognise this this will survive.
We face the prospect of Armageddon but this Blog prefers to take the optimistic view.
Remember, sustainabiliy is a journey, not a destination
dd
New Wal-Mart Leadership
With the country abuzz about the power shift in our nation’s capital, the town of Bentonville, Arkansas, is preparing for change with global implications. On February 1, Lee Scott stepped down after almost a decade as CEO of Wal-Mart, ceding the reigns of power to Mike Duke. Outside of the recent change at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, this could be one of the most significant transitions of 2009.
The CEO of Wal-Mart is a big job. The company’s annual revenue exceeds $370 billion — greater than the GDP of all but the 20 largest economies in the world. Each week nearly 200 million people walk into a Wal-Mart store. The products on Wal-Mart’s shelves originate from over 60,000 suppliers around the globe. As a result, the company has an enormous environmental impact.
In 2005, Lee Scott laid out three bold environmental goals for Wal-Mart: Create zero waste, be supplied by 100 percent renewable energy and sell sustainable products. Environmental Defense Fund(EDF) and other organizations recognized this historic opportunity to work with the world’s largest retailer to help it reach these impressive goals. If Wal-Mart is successful in meeting these goals, we will accomplish nothing short of a radical transformation of supply chains worldwide.
The ultimate success or failure of Wal-Mart’s sustainability efforts will likely be formed during the tenure of Duke as CEO. Given the seriousness of the climate crisis today, failure is not an option. Working with groups such as EDF, Wal-Mart must dramatically reduce the level of emissions being poured into the atmosphere from the manufacturing and transport of the products it sources. At the same time, we must encourage Wal-Mart — and other companies of its size — to push for innovative, environmentally-sound technologies and products that will revitalize our failing economy, getting us back on the road to growth………………….
Continues at http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/02/02/new-wal-mart-leadership
It’s Not Going to Be OK – Sheldon S Wolin
…………………….“My greatest fear is that the Obama administration will achieve relatively little in terms of structural change,” he added. “They may at best keep the system going. But there is a growing pessimism. Every day we hear how much longer the recession will continue. They are already talking about beyond next year. The economic difficulties are more profound than we had guessed and because of globalization more difficult to deal with. I wish the political establishment, the parties and leadership, would become more aware of the depths of the problem. They can’t keep throwing money at this. They have to begin structural changes that involve a very different approach from a market economy. I don’t think this will happen.”…………
Complete article at http://www.truthdig.com/report/page2/20090202_its_not_going_to_be_ok/
related links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheldon_S._Wolin
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20030519/wolin
Keeping Ahead of the Oil Curve 