FST JOURNAL

In each issue, the Foundation will look back at an event from our archive. In this edition, we will be digging into an FST discussion that we hosted at The Royal Society a decade ago on the fragility of the environment, human impacts and issues surrounding the protection of it.

The business of the environment

Annual COP negotiations were based in Brazil this year - the home of the Amazon rainforest, a model of ecological complexity and case study in the fight against the damaging impacts of climate change. With significant roll backs on environmental legislation in the USA and beyond, COP30 was always set to be a heated and poignant event.

On 24th June 2015, the Foundation held a discussion entitled ‘The business of the environment’ which explored whether tension could be resolved between resource extraction and environmental protection. Speakers at this event included:

• Professor Duncan Wingham Chief Executive, Natural Environment Research Council
• Professor Simon Pollard Pro-Vice-Chancellor, School of Energy, Environment and Agrifood, Cranfield University
• The Lord Oxburgh KBE FRS HonFREng House of Lords
• Professor Jane Francis Director, British Antarctic Survey
• The Lord Selbourne, Chair of the Foundation for Science and Technology.

This debate was one of a series of events celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of the Natural Environment Research Council. Beginning the panel discussion, Professor Wingham said that issues of environmental science were high on the UK national agenda, often higher than in other countries. Debate on the subject, involving development goals, had increasing environmental and social aspects. It was no longer a question of resource extraction versus development. With many natural resources now diminished or exhausted, it was more than ever necessary to define what we were protecting and why. The value of the NERC which could give independent scientific advice on issues such as the impact of CFCs on the ozone layer, variations in air quality, and the effects of pollution on biodiversity; and how best to cope with the changing environment and extreme weather. The second panellist, Professor Pollard said that we had to work out strategies for reframing the role of environmental sciences in a green economy, set up a circular economy, which could mend itself where necessary, and establish new skills in systemic risk, creation of resilience and appropriate use of big data. In a few words this meant decoupling economic growth from extraction of resources, and work on how to do business which could take account of such factors as environmental governance, self-regulation, capacity for adaptation, respect for ethical standards and ability to take account of innovation, particularly in the field of technology.

Next, Lord Oxburgh spoke of the need for us to take due account of the enormous changes taking place in a world created by humans who should be seen as an invasive species with multiplying numbers and increasing demand on resources. Our approach, he said, should involve better coordination of skills and disciplines. Some issues were easier to understand than others, especially at local rather than global level. For example, acidification of the oceans, increases in greenhouse gas emissions, the effects of acid rain, or the impact of such projects as the Athabasca and North Alberta oil sands using opencast mining and hydrogenation of the extracted bitumen. The next big challenge involved the issues surrounding the exploitation of the Arctic.

During discussion, Professor Francis said that the role of the British Antarctic Survey was a good example of what could and should be done. It had already been approached by industry and was working with it. Development of the Arctic and Antarctic offered great opportunities, but science had to establish the parameters of future action by the littoral States in the Arctic and under the framework of the Antarctic Treaty in the Antarctic. Here the role of the NERC could be critical. In summing up the debate, Lord Selbourne drew particular importance to better valuation of natural capital and the need to make better use of opportunities for developing the green economy.

 Read the full event summary and listen to everything speakers said here.