Environmental Problems That Are Also Business Opportunities
There are problems- Yes I concur. But, I see opportunities… What do you see? There are a lot of environmental problems in the world today, but how we react to them matters a lot.
Climate Change
with the planet heating up and ice caps melting due to carbon emissions, there are serious opportunities for “carbon offsets”. Entire financial models and markets are being developed and implemented in Europe and now the US around this issue along with a whole movement towards making lower-impact products and services in virtually every industry imaginable: manufacturing, construction, transportation, energy, etc.
Energy
oil will not be able to accommodate the growth in energy for more than another 2–15 years or so before there will not be enough to go around. There are humongous opportunities for energy consulting, auditing, alternative energy products and services, industrial design and manufacturing, and so on.
Water
according to WorldOMeters over 1.3 billion people worldwide currently do not have access to drinkable water. And the US is not immune as it has become a major issue in our drier states. Product design, consulting and monitoring resources are just a few of the many, many opportunities available in water management.
Biodiversity and Land Use
when huge tracks of rainforest, the home of many, many species of plants and animals are burned down to grow one crop (i.e. soy, corn, wheat, rice, etc.) or raise one animal (i.e. cattle), we are loosing major important planetary resources. Many opportunities, ranging from medicinal horticulture to eco-tourism, are available all over the world.
Chemicals, Toxics, and Heavy Metals
according to WorldOMeters for the first 30 days of 2008, the world’s industries have dumped over 772,000 tons of pollutants into the air, water and land. Any products and services related to the reduction of dumping these chemicals are being looked at by many private and public sectors world wide. One of the fastest growing markets in the US is the organics food industry.
Air Pollution
according to the World Bank, it is estimated 800,000 people die prematurely every year from illnesses caused by outdoor air pollution worldwide. There are many opportunities to improve air quality controls through products and services, emissions testing, auditing, consulting, air filters, and so on.
Waste Management
according to Zero Waste America, each American disposed almost 10 tons of waste in 2001. There are huge opportunities in designing and implementing reusable products, shipping and packaging and take-out containers, consulting, education, art from found objects, and on and on.
Ozone Layer Depletion
known as our natural sun screen, it limits ultraviolet (UV) radiation to levels necessary for life on earth. With the ozone layers on the polar caps disappearing since first discovered in 1979, opportunities abound in the health sector, specifically those addressing issues with skin cancer, cataracts and immune systems as well as marine biology.
Forest and Fisheries
with approximately 70% of the world’s major marine fisheries depleted, major opportunities arise in food manufacturing, education, biology, vegetarian products and services, alternative farming practices, environmental non-profits and so on.
Deforestation
according to WorldOMeters in the first four weeks of 2008, almost 2.25 million acres of forest have been destroyed, contributing to the almost 1.2 million acres of new desert formed. There are major opportunities available in eco-tourism, land management and top soil containment as well as all-natural/organic landscaping, farming practices, education, and on and on.
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Originally published at www.extelicast.com.
