Today, William Beveridge would worry about the environment, writes Sam Fankhauser. He reflects on the LSE's Beveridge Festival and explains why environmental sustainability needs to be prioritised with the determination, leadership, and strong government commitment that Beveridge envisaged in 1942 - only this time at a global scale

Fankhauser, Samuel

LSE Research Online

William	Beveridge’s	sixth	giant:	environmentalsustainabilityToday,	William	Beveridge	would	worry	about	the	environment,	writes	Sam	Fankhauser.	He	reflectson	the	LSE’s	Beveridge	Festival	and	explains	why	environmental	sustainability	needs	to	be	prioritisedwith	the	determination,	leadership,	and	strong	government	commitment	that	Beveridge	envisaged	in1942	–	only	this	time	at	a	global	scale.Squalor,	ignorance,	want,	idleness,	and	disease.	These	are	the	five	“giant	evils”	that	economist	andsocial	reformer	William	Beveridge	identified	in	his	famous	1942	report.	Recently,	participants	in	the	LSE	Festival	onRethinking	Beveridge	for	the	21st	century	voted	for	environmental	sustainability	–	or	environmental	degradation	–	asa	6th	giant	evil	that	Beveridge	had	missed.Beveridge’s	five	giants	remain	urgent	societal	problems	today.	Colleagues	from	LSE	were	putting	forward	argumentsfor	equity,	isolation,	security	and	extremism	as	other	giant	evils	on	a	par	with	Beveridge’s	original	five.	Humanwelfare	depends	crucially	on	our	ability	to	find	a	solution	for	all	of	these	problems.	But	environmental	sustainabilitystands	apart	as	a	deeper,	more	fundamental	challenge.	Without	a	functioning	environment	and	the	ecosystemservices	it	provides	–	food,	water,	clean	air,	a	stable	climate	–	the	other	problems	become	impossible	to	solve.We	live	in	the	Anthropocene,	the	geological	epoch	where	our	planet	is	shaped	not	just	by	natural	processes	but	byhuman	action.	In	and	of	itself	this	may	not	be	a	problem.	But	earth	scientists	have	identified	several	instances	wherehuman	interference	is	pushing	hard	against	“planetary	boundaries”;	thresholds	beyond	which	there	is	a	risk	ofirreversible	and	abrupt	environmental	change.	In	several	cases	our	global	environmental	footprint	is	approaching,	oralready	beyond,	these	safe	limits.	This	is	a	massive	concern.Climate	change	is	perhaps	the	most	prominent	example.	Unless	we	drastically	curtail	our	greenhouse	gas	emissions,we	risk	creating	climatic	conditions	that	the	planet	has	not	experienced	for	several	million	years.In	the	field	of	biodiversity,	biologists	are	talking	about	the	6th	global	mass	extinction,	the	first	since	the	demise	of	thedinosaurs	65	million	years	ago.	The	rate	at	which	we	are	losing	species	is	now	1000	times	higher	than	it	was	beforethe	industrial	revolution.	Other	areas	where	we	are	approaching	planetary	boundaries	include	the	nitrogen	cycle,ocean	acidification,	freshwater	use,	land	conversion,	chemical	pollution	and	atmospheric	aerosol	loading.	Ozonelayer	depletion,	which	we	thought	we	had	reversed,	is	making	an	unwanted	comeback.	The	problems	interact.Ocean	acidification	combines	with	climate	change	to	put	unsustainable	stress	on	the	world’s	coral	reefs,	putting	atrisk	the	habitat	of	25%	of	marine	biodiversity.None	of	this	is	inevitable.	Human	ingenuity	has	always	been	good	at	overcoming	environmental	constraints.	In	the1860s,	William	Stanley	Jevons	wondered	how	Britain’s	booming	industries	would	continue	to	grow	given	dwindlingcoal	reserves.	Today,	global	fossil	fuel	reserves	are	three	times	larger	than	what	planetary	boundaries	will	permit	usto	use.	Renewable	energy	is	becoming	so	cheap	that	it	is	no	longer	unthinkable	that	we	will	be	able	to	leave	thesereserves	in	the	ground.The	water	quality	in	Europe’s	rivers	is	infinitely	better	than	it	was	a	generation	ago.	Under	the	Montreal	Protocol,ozone-depleting	chlorofluorocarbons	have	been	phased	out.	Sulphur	emissions	are	down.	Leaded	petrol	is	a	thing	ofthe	past.	Environmental	progress	of	this	kind	does	not	have	to	come	at	the	expense	of	economic	prosperity.	It	ispossible	to	protect	the	environment	and	growth	the	economy	at	the	same	time.	Indeed,	many	would	argue	that	this	isthe	only	way	to	ensure	sustainable	growth	in	the	long	run.	In	the	UK,	greenhouse	gas	emissions	have	fallen	by	over40	%	since	1990.	Over	the	same	period	GDP	has	grown	by	60%.Unfortunately,	none	of	this	happens	automatically.		There	are	well	known	market,	policy,	and	behavioural	failures	thatprevent	us	from	managing	our	natural	environment	in	a	sustainable	way.	The	environment	does	not	have	a	price,which	means	it	gets	ignored	in	private	decision-making.	There	are	barriers	to	clean	innovation.	People	are	reluctantto	adopt	more	energy	efficient	technologies.British Politics and Policy at LSE: William Beveridge’s sixth giant: environmental sustainability Page 1 of 2		Date originally posted: 2018-03-05Permalink: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/william-beveridges-sixth-giant-environmental-sustainability/Blog homepage: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/Correcting	these	failures	needs	determination,	leadership	and	strong	government	commitment	–	exactly	asBeveridge	envisaged	in	1942.	Only	this	time	at	a	global	scale.______Note:	the	podcast	and	video	of	the	LSE	event	this	article	draws	on	is	available	here.About	the	AuthorSam	Fankhauser	is	Director	of	the	Grantham	Research	Institute	on	Climate	Change	and	theEnvironment,	and	Deputy	Director	of	the	ESRC-funded	Centre	for	Climate	Change	Economics	andPolicy	(CCCEP),	both	at	the	London	School	of	Economics.		All	articles	posted	on	this	blog	give	the	views	of	the	author(s),	and	not	the	position	of	LSE	British	Politics	and	Policy,nor	of	the	London	School	of	Economics	and	Political	Science.	British Politics and Policy at LSE: William Beveridge’s sixth giant: environmental sustainability Page 2 of 2		Date originally posted: 2018-03-05Permalink: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/william-beveridges-sixth-giant-environmental-sustainability/Blog homepage: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/

William Beveridge's sixth giant: environmental sustainability

http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/89112/1/politicsandpolicy-william-beveridges-sixth-giant-environmental.pdf

William Beveridge's sixth giant: environmental sustainability

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

LSE Research Online