Climate change is a by-product of a global economic system based on cheap fossil fuel energy that powers our homes, vehicles, offices and factories. Summaries of climate science and modeling, such as those undertaken by the International Panel on Climate Change tell us that a “business as usual” trajectory of rising greenhouse gas emissions (or even maintaining emissions at current levels) threatens the very survival of humans, not to mention other animals and plants. (Lee, Mark, and Kenneth I., 11) As the world is increasingly focusing on environmental awareness, a new “green” trend has arisen. This research essay will discuss the issue of sustainability of the environment in production, growing consumer interest in the green trend, and how it is affecting businesses.
The effects of an altered climate are already evident in retreating glaciers, shrinking polar ice, droughts, floods, and other extreme weather events. As environmental awareness is becoming more common, and since production industries tend to think in terms of the long run (Wilson, Tim) there is a demand for a transformational shift towards sustainable systems of production and consumption, however many people confuse being green with being sustainable. To be green, substances from the earth's core must not be extracted faster than they're regenerated, pollutants must not be discharged into the atmosphere faster than the earth's systems can clean them, and surface level resources must not be destroyed or harvested faster than they are regenerated (Wills, Brett). To be sustainable, materials and energy inputs must be harvested in a way that does not deprive future generations, meaning use of resources that are renewable (such as wood or solar energy) and recyclable (such as metals or paper). Also, wastes (pollutants in the water, land, and air including greenhouse gases) must be within the “sink”