Should Business Take Responsibility to the Environment

Answering poor health
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Gro Harlem Brundtland outlines the links between poverty, health and the environment and recommends practical action. |

| Twenty-four years ago, as a young environment minister in Norway, I was called out at midnight to be informed that there had been a blow-out in the Ekofisk field in the North Sea. After an intense week of crisis management, the well was capped and, luckily, the environmental damage was less than we had feared. The Ekofisk blow-out in Norway was a turning point for the Norwegian people and for its politicians. For the first time the environment was recognized as an issue belonging at the centre of the country’s economic development. The blow-out was not only a threat to birds and coastline – even though this was serious enough. It was a threat to our whole development as a nation. Meaningful societal change starts when the economic impact of an issue is acknowledged and understood. During the 1980s, global recognition of the economic impact of environmental change meant that it became an issue of interest to world leaders and decision makers. Through awareness raising by civil society and the media, the economic, political and social importance of environmental degradation has become an issue for voters, politicians and governments alike. Since the 1980s there has been significant progress on environmental issues, with new global conventions, reduced pollution in many countries, and keen awareness of the value and importance of sound environmental policies. There have also been less welcome developments. Emissions of carbon dioxide are increasing and current international actions are not sufficient to prevent significant changes in climate and sea levels. Over the past three years, we have seen a similar ‘awakening’ of public awareness to the importance of health in development.
Global alarm
Sadly, it has taken the HIV/AIDS epidemic to raise global awareness of the link between economic development and...