[sustran] WBCSD & the auto industry - part of the solution, but how?

[eric.britton at ecoplan.org]

Wednesday, July 07, 2004, Paris, France, Europe

 

Our old friend and colleague, Ken Orski, formerly the original caretaker
of the urban transport environment of the OECD's environment unit years
ago when it was just getting started, has just kindly shared  with us an
abstract of and commentary on the just published report of the WBCSD.
His closing phrase caught my attention, and I would like to invite
commentary on it here.  He writes: 

 

"While it is too early to predict the report's longer term influence,
the sponsoring companies  clearly hope that their initiative will, at
the very least, help to establish the auto industry's sincerity and good
faith in trying to come to grips with the impact of its activities on
the environment."

 

Now, I for one get no great pleasure in bashing the auto or energy
industry - indeed I think it's a pretty dumb and counter-productive
thing to do since one way or another they are also part of the solution
(indeed they are important clients for my personal consulting work as I
keep trying to edge them toward a more truly proactive approach in
helping create and advance the New Mobility Agenda - I am not that
reassured about either  (a) the usefulness or (b) the sincerity and good
faith - precisely! - of their participation in this particular exercise.


 

I have my own thoughts on this as you can imagine, but I would be
interested to hear what others of you might have to say.  Indeed, isn't
the main issue behind this from our shared perspectives here is that we
need to make them part of the solution.  There can be no doubt about
that.  The question of course is: will they do it without firm
leadership from the public policy end.  And if so, what form should that
take?  (I attach to this note our short  original 'mission statement'
for The Commons which goes back now to several decades.  Still pretty
much the way it looks around here.)

 

Eric Britton

The Commons, Paris

 

 

" The Commons: Increasing the uncomfort zone for hesitant administrators
and politicians, pioneering new concepts for activists, community
groups, entrepreneurs and business, and through our joint efforts,
energy and personal choices,  placing them and ourselves firmly on the
path to a more sustainable and more just society."

 

 

 

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