Sustainable business and the environment

It is now normal for any real estate or industrial development to prepare an environment impact assessment. This is a positive and important element of sustainable development, especially in terms of establishing greater respect for the environment.

While I am not sure how much credence is actually placed in environmental assessments, or whether a project has ever been cancelled or seriously modified on account of the assessment, it is nevertheless a vital part of the planning process.

In the past 25 or so years I have been here, I have seen some enormous strides made towards extending greater protection to the country's environment and wildlife.

After a concerted drive to protect wildlife, we have seen a number of initiatives. These include: the wildlife sanctuary in Sharjah; Abu Dhabi's initiatives on Sir Baniyas Island; and Dubai's efforts to control trading in endangered species.

For further proof of how things have changed, go out into the desert around Dubai and you will see gazelles. Indeed, you will notice in general how the desert seems to teem with more life then before.

My concern remains, however, that the corporate sector in the country has not really initiated any serious effort to fund additional environmental protection programmes.

Within Dubai, just a few streets away from Shaikh Zayed road is the Ras Al Khor bird sanctuary. Why cannot some of the banks sponsor this project?

One idea would be to provide funds to help cover the cost of printing of books documenting the various bird species inhabiting the sanctuary.

Conservation programme

I would love to take the CEOs of the major companies operating in this country, including foreign companies working here, and put them in a room and give them each one project to sponsor to sponsor with their energy, their enthusiasm and of course with funds.

There are many possibilities a conservation programme to save the local turtle population is one. Another would be to save the Arabian Gulf sailfish, which is in danger of being wiped out. Dugongs need more protection. More can be done for the gazelle population. The list can go on and on.

What is so difficult about launching a public awareness campaign about over-fishing? What is so hard about bringing in, and paying for, a leading scientist to spend a week advising the government and authorities here about ways to fine-tune their environmental protection initiatives?

Eco-friendly positions

Why cannot some banks get together and start a public or school education programme with an environmental theme?

There is no shortage of things that can be done. And there are a number of large foreign companies here which take professed environmentally-friendly positions in their home countries.

I would really like to see business leaders get involved with the causes I have described. They benefit from operating here, so it seems appropriate for them to give something back especially since it would do them no harm.

Corporations reap a lot of goodwill when they assume eco-friendly positions. Consumers feel good about companies that take responsible positions on environmental issues.

Years ago, when I took over running a bank facing some difficult circumstances, I took the position that the bank should support environmental causes and I believed (and continue to believe) in these causes.

The ad campaigns did not talk about products rather, they talked about dolphins and saving the environment. What was amazing was the support the community gave us. The message was clear: if the bank cares about the environment, it will surely care about its customers.

These are the times when business leaders have to consider what is good, rather than simply what is profitable.

The writer is the UAE-based president of Sher Consulting.