Sustainable Growth Excludes Fossil Fuels

Sustainable economic growth is utterly impossible as long as oil, coal and natural gas provide nearly 88 percent of the world's energy needs. According to EIA (the US Energy Information Administration), total world consumption of marketed energy will increase by 49 percent between 2007 to 2035. The International Energy Agency predicted that Chinese energy demand would soar 75 percent by 2035, accounting for more than a third of the growth in global consumption.

The most egregious source of energy is coal, in India, more than 50% of commercial energy demand is met with coal and according to 2008 statistics, coal accounts for 71 percent of China's energy mix. The US is not much better with 23 percent of its total energy demand being met with coal.

We simply cannot afford economic growth that is so reliant on dirty energy like coal. Although growth is a serious environmental threat, it could also be a valuable opportunity to radically expand the clean energy economy. New innovative applications of sustainable technologies can significantly reduce emissions and old inefficient technologies can be replaced with cleaner greener technologies.

Renewable energy is the great hope for the planet because it is sustainable energy, but renewable energy is not cost competitive cheap and abundant coal. Therefore, cost considerations alone will not drive the move away from coal.

The increasing price of oil and the uncertainty of the fossil fuel markets is something that business are increasingly considering and it is only a matter of time before we remove oil subsidies. However, until we see climate change energy legislation and regulation, business have an opportunity to show leadership by voluntarily replacing coal with renewable energy.

Economic growth that includes fossil fuels precludes the possibility of a living planet.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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IMD and WWF's Sustainable Business Program

The WWF's One Planet Leaders Program (OPL) is now being taught at Lausanne, Switzerland's IMD. The WWF and IMD's innovative training program drives sustainability into the core of business.

The program’s learning focus is on developing a winning business case and robust strategy for change, leading to sustainable practices which also deliver more profit to the company. The program is designed for leaders who operate at a strategic level and can drive change, and is also open to managers in business functions such as general management, R&D, procurement/supply, marketing and sales; and in sustainability functions.

Participants are part of a global network of peers and experts, and learn from an inspiring faculty which draws from the best of academia, NGOs and the private sector. The program began in fall 2010 and features three 3-day modules focused on strategy, change management and leadership in the sustainability context.

Participants work on their real-world sustainability challenges while being introduced to the complex issues and best practices in sustainability. Pre-, inter- and post-module support will help participants drive and sustain their sustainability change initiatives.

Companies will benefit by having their top managers drive innovation to build competitive advantage while solving some of the key sustainability challenges facing the planet.


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WWF's One Planet Leaders Program

The One Planet Leaders (OPL) program teaches sustainable business development. It was first launched by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 2007, and since that time 200 business leaders have completed the course.

OPL originates from a series of workshops on sustainable business development run with WWF corporate partners. Today it includes an accredited Masters level Executive Education programme – available in Europe and Asia Pacific; three Modular Workshops – accessible as customized training in companies and in regions; a stand-alone Sustainability Master class; an active global Alumni Community; and a One Planet MBA under development.

The goal of OPL is to teach leaders how to manage the planet's limited resources as they build the global economy. Climate, security, food, health, justice and economic growth - these are big issues and the way we manage our environment is vital to all of them.

The private sector has a key role to play in reversing the trends of environmental degradation and social inequality, and is uniquely positioned to lead global solutions through new business models and innovation.

OPL is helping companies meet these challenges. It develops dynamic leaders who can integrate sustainability into all aspects of decision making and build a better more equitable society.

Next: IMD and WWF's Sustainable Business Program

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