Environment

The environmental issue is talked about in increasingly dramatic terms. The days of the media still presenting the views of those who played down the problem are over and it is much more difficult to be optimistic. The awareness that if current development does not
change drastically, there will be a limit to the earth being able to provide decent living standards to its inhabitants, is becoming more widespread.

Recent data is extremely alarming: on one hand nonrenewable natural resources are running out (including fossil fuels); on the other increasingly limited resources are competed from food production (human and animal) and energy uses, such as arable soil (in rapid decrease) and water, demand for which has more than doubled in the last century.

The most worrying issue is the level of CO² emissions to the atmosphere that are produced by man made activities and play a significant role in climate change: according to experts we must reduce these by 90% by 2050, while at present we produce 3% more each year. Forecasts indicate that without a drastic reduction, the average temperature of the earth will increase by 4 degrees over the next 50 years. This would have catastrophic effects on agriculture (and consequently on food safety) and water supplies, changing our world to the point that it will not be able to sustain life as we know it today.

The solution to such a complex issue requires a collective commitment that includes not only national and global institutions but also citizens and companies. Companies must find
new ways of operating that are effectively sustainable particularly in terms of emissions and resources (both energy and water): to ensure survival of their businesses.