The Recession-proof Colour

“Alberta is unusual in that it has been spared economic damage as a result of environmental degradation.”

by Michael McCullough

There remains a large constituency in Alberta, especially in the business community, that regards concern for the environment as antithetical to economic growth and development. Or at best it is secondary, something we have to decide whether we can afford or not. And in times such as these, the answer is typically not.

These people suffered a bit of a shock when United States President Barack Obama, instead of putting his environmental campaign promises on the back burner, imposed new vehicle emissions standards on the same auto industry his administration was forced to save from the scrapyard. Fuel emissions regulations that will almost certainly affect our oil industry are expected to follow.

Many Albertans associate any action on the environment as a threat to their economic well-being, but this is not the way people think in other jurisdictions. Alberta is unusual in that it has been spared economic damage as a result of environmental degradation. You don’t have to go far to find examples of that, though. The British Columbia Interior is facing a collapse of its once thriving forest industry as the result of the mountain pine beetle infestation, which is directly linked to warmer winters. B.C.’s network of hydroelectric dams, the megaprojects of their day that once landed then-premier W.A.C. Bennett on the cover of Time magazine, are yielding diminishing returns as snowpacks dwindle. The West Coast commercial salmon fishing industry, meanwhile, seems to be arriving at the same dead end (though more slowly) as the cod fishery on the East Coast.

To people in these places, and many more, the health of the economy is directly linked to the health of the environment. So preserving and enhancing the environment – including action on climate change – is part and parcel of any long-term economic development.

This, our third annual Green Issue, is dedicated to this revolution in thinking that is as much about how you run your business as saving the environment. Our cover story on wind power explains why this niche of the energy sector is still expanding fast despite the recession. Writer Marzena Czarnecka explores how the push for environmental accountability is actually democratizing corporate management. Our “Green Doers” explain how they use sustainability as their core business proposition. This month’s Action Plan examines how green IT practices can improve your bottom line.

So, no, the green imperative will not go away just because of economic hardship. Indeed, it may show us the way out.

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