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24 April 2010Is There a Silver Lining in the Volcanic Ash Cloud?Tag(s): SustainabilityOn 21st March an Icelandic volcano, dormant for 200 years, erupted, tearing a 1km-long fissure in a field of ice. The volcano near Eyjafjallajoekull glacier began to erupt just after midnight, sending lava a hundred metres high. By 15th April the volcanic ash plume had reached British airspace which was then closed to all air traffic because of the risk to jet engines. A combination of prevailing winds and a ridge of high pressure conspired to keep the ash cloud over the United Kingdom and much of Europe. British airspace was not opened until 21st April disrupting the plans of thousands of travellers trying to return home after Easter holidays. At the University where I am a Governor an estimated 500 out of 20,000 students were delayed in their return to the University. In the school where I am an Associate Governor 16 members of staff were affected disrupting teaching schedules at the beginning of the key summer term. All of us know stories of people affected and I personally know of people held up in Laos, China and Kathmandu! While I sympathise with all those affected and know that it could easily have been me or members of my family I am concerned about the attempts to apportion blame, to get the government (i.e. the taxpayer) to pay and particularly the absurd European laws that seek to make the airline responsible for all the consequent hotel bills. The reality is that we have all come to assume that we have a right to fly off to anywhere in the world at the click of a credit card and get to the theme parks on the other side of the oceans in a few hours. We fly flowers and salads and berries around. I fully expected a bout of panic buying of fresh flowers to break out. This is a time to reflect on the alternatives that may be forced on us in time. For a week our skies were beautifully clear. As I look out my window this Saturday morning the flights have resumed and the sky is hazy with vapour trails. At least one major corporation, Cisco, has placed a ban on internal travel to meetings. This has reduced its annual travel bill by $250million, a third of the total and has improved the quality of life of its senior executives.
Greenhouse gases threaten the atmosphere which is very thin. Tony gave a memorable image that it is like a coat of gloss on a football. If you could walk out from the earth you would walk through the atmosphere in 2 hours.
Copenhagen was a political train wreck brought down by inadequate preparation and the following of parochial agendas. But he finally called to the marketing profession which can be part of the solution as it needs the skills of persuasion and communication to bring about change. Tony Juniper is the Green Party candidate in Cambridge at this year’s parliamentary election and you can see his website at http://www.tonyjuniper.com
Our Middle Warden, John Flynn’s reply referred to Juniper’s book How Many Lightbulbs Does It Take To Change A Planet? which contains 95 points (Martin Luther’s 95 theses?) No 93 relates to advertising. The Rules of the Advertising Standards Authority about “Honest, decent, legal and truthful” are not sufficient when we must consider sustainability. John said that the paper industry is responsible for 10% of carbon emissions, three times that of air travel.
Everyone's looking for something to do about climate change. What’s needed Copyright David C Pearson 2010 All rights reserved Blog ArchiveBoards Business Chile Current Affairs Education Environment Foreign Affairs Future Health History In Memoriam Innovation Language & culture Language and Culture Languages & Culture Law Leadership Leadership & Management Marketing Networking Pedantry People Philanthropy Philosophy Politics & Econoimics Politics & Economics Politics and Economics Science Sport Sustainability Sustainability (or Restoration) Technology Worshipful Company of MarketorsDavid's Blog |
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