We explain what the environmental responsibility of an economic activity is, its social function and what obligations it establishes.
What is environmental responsibility?
The responsibility Environmental is the set of injuries, more or less serious, that causes some economic activity Or any Lifestyle on the nature as a whole (the other species, the ecosystems, etc.) and therefore in the quality of life of future human generations, both by direct action and inaction.
Just as there is a social responsibility of all economic activity with respect to the community where it is located and whose capacity to work it takes advantage of, there is also an environmental responsibility of the organizations and individuals regarding the environment in which they live, work and carry out their work.
Although this has not been a concern or a concept present in the legislation Until the end of the 20th century, today it is considered an inescapable aspect of any attempt to sustainable development or economy "green".
In this sense, the 1972 Stockholm Conference was key in making these issues visible, which must necessarily govern economic and industrial life, under the slogan that “whoever pollutes pays”. The alternative is to continue with a model of industrial development irresponsible with the environment, whose ecological damages will be paid with immense increases in the future.
Environmental responsibility dictates compensatory obligations regarding the use of the natural resources. For example, if a logging company fells hundreds of trees in a period of time, it must at the same time invest in replacing them, in order to promote less environmental damage possible in the long term.
In other words, environmental responsibility establishes an ecological obligation of economic agents, which can be translated in practice into conservation activities, promotion of “green” culture or energy saving, to name a few examples. In this way, they reduce the ecological impact of their activity and compensate it with activities that also generate employment and contribute to an economy more compatible with the environment. planet Earth.
As well as corporate social responsibility, environmental responsibility responds to public guidelines or the Condition, and the commitment of the business with future generations, which is a minimum ethical requirement for any type of economic or productive activity: not to cost the world, in the long run, more than the wealth generated today.