Eco Jurisprudence related to 'Business and Environment'

Social, economic and environmental sustainability demands a constant ‘give and take’ relationship between business and environment. The business world has come a long way since Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring brought to light how the booming business of synthetic pesticides was negatively affecting the bird populations. In the current business scenarios, ecological efficiency is endorsed to attract green investments that promote a healthy environment. Today, more and more businesses are realizing that forsaking the environment for the sake of profits would actually hamper economic growth.

At times however, there are businesses and development projects that mandate attention for having overlooked the environmental cause while planning economic growth. Ecojustice, Canada’s largest environmental law charity, fights for environmental justice on behalf of community groups, non-profit organizations, indigenous communities, and citizens. The group provides legal expertise to protect natural ecosystems, reduce GHG emissions, reduce air and water pollution, and in general to support a healthy planet, as well as promote policy shifts and stronger environmental laws.

I have come across one such project in British Columbia, the state in Canada where I am currently studying. This is the Terminal 2 expansion project at the Port of Vancouver. The proposed shipping terminal expansion at Roberts Bank at the mouth of Fraser River, would disturb an already stressed ecosystem that has already lost 70% of its natural habitat.

Ecojustice has appealed to the Mr. Jonathan Wilkinson, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change in Canada, to realize the adverse impacts of Terminal 2 on the marine environment and disapprove the project.

The appeal highlights the grave risk that the proposed expansion would cause to the endangered marine species such as the killer whales, wild salmon, and other marine life in the Fraser estuary. Furthermore, they also emphasized on noise pollution due to shipping traffic associated with the expansion, general marine pollution, threats to about 120 indigenous species and their rearing habitat, especially the Chinook salmon and the Southern Resident killer whales. The greater underwater noise would also interfere with the whales’ ability to hunt and communicate.

Chinook salmon follow a distinct migration patterns that enables the young ones to gain strength before they venture into the open seas. The expansion would disrupt these patterns thus forcing the young salmon into the open ocean before they are ready or strong enough to survive. This could disturb the entire food chain by affecting the population of the South Resident killer whales who feed on the Chinook.

Organizations like Ecojustice serve multiple purposes. They help in changing the mindsets of people, to raise awareness that directly impacts the policies of businesses. They also contribute towards a tighter framework by the government in such situations. Finally, they serve as a relevant ‘check and control’ on businesses.

Environmental justice especially with regard to business and development related negative impacts, on the environment, calls for a collaboration between all stakeholders like governments, NGOs and general public, to propagate ethical business growth with due eco-jurisprudence.

 

Sources and References

https://www.businessmanagementideas.com/management/strategic-planning/relationship-between-environment-and-business/4787

https://www.nature.com/articles/nbt0399supp_25

https://www.raincoast.org/2020/05/terminal-2-expansion-threatens-the-fraser-estuary/

https://ecojustice.ca/approach/

https://ecojustice.ca/case/protecting-orcas-and-salmon-from-the-terminal-2-expansion/

 

Image Credit

https://ecojustice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Fraser-River-Estuary-credit-Charlotte-Dawes-Wilderness-Committee-13-1140x540-1.jpg?x64512