“This [sustainability] consciousness will not be attained simply because the arguments for change are good or because the alternatives are unpleasant…The central lesson of realistic policy-making is that most individuals and organizations change when it is in their interest to change, either because they derive some benefit from changing or because they incur sanctions when they do not…”

These words were spoken by William Ruckelshaus, who served as the first head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Although climate change had just begun to creep into the public consciousness in the late 1980s when Ruckelshaus made these remarks, his comments reveal an important truth which presciently resonates in today’s global warming debate: governments can lead the country towards a more sustainable interaction between people and their environment but civil society is essential in realizing this profound change.

DEVELOPMENTS

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, average global temperature increased 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit in the last century, 90% of which occurred in the last fifty years.  The 2009 State of the Climate report released by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) states that the first six months of 2010 have been the warmest on record, increasing the rate of glacial melt and the frequency of heat waves. The same report also points to extreme weather conditions around the world in 2009, including Brazil, where forty people were killed and 376,000 were left homeless.  Climate change, as these events suggest, is a global security issue and the solutions must transcend international and domestic politics so that livelihoods and the planet are protected.

Greenhouse gas emissions and climate change can have a significant impact on small, rural producers and agricultural production, such as heavy flooding in Brazil and elsewhere.  The Brazilian government, in turn, recently announced an investment of 200 million reais ($113 million) to mitigate the effects of climate change by promoting REDD activities (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), agricultural research, and environmental conservation. 

However, a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report suggests that China, India, and Brazil, among other nations, cannot accurately measure their share of greenhouse gas emissions, while countries like Russia reported data with a significant margin of error.  These data and reporting methodologies further complicate efforts for global climate policies. 

The Daily Dump is a growing recycling business started by Poonam Bir Kasturi in Bangalore, India in 2006. In just four years, the Daily Dump has helped enable over 4,500 customers in Bangalore to compost household waste in terra cotta pots that are sold by the Daily Dump. For most of these customers it was probably their first foray into large-scale recycling, as 25-30 kilograms of organic waste each month reduces to 3 kilograms of compost, which can then be used as fertilizer. Poonam and her staff of about 10 call this method “agri-composting” which is a specifically urban solution. The company’s focus has now expanded to include city schools as customers, adding a critical educational aspect to the business.

The Daily Dump is a unique endeavor for several reasons. The company offers a woman-owned business model for other entrepreneurs interested in improving the environment and using ethical commercial practices. In addition, the Daily Dump has helped launch other “clones” who use the same or very similar pot design and composting methods. There are no patents, no royalties, no copyrights, trademarks, or intellectual property lawsuits, and the company does not profit off of the clones. Moreover, Kasturi and her team actively assist the fast followers by sharing technical specifications and advice at no cost. At this time there are 15 clones in India, one of which was established in Bangalore itself, and others in Chile, Brazil, and Florida.

Foreign Policy Digest is pleased to have conducted an interview with Ms. Kasturi on August 3rd 2010 as a follow-up to the interview with Marco Steinberg of the Helsinki Design Lab, which completed an extensive academic study of the Daily Dump. We would like to thank PR Collaborative for facilitating this interview, excerpted below.

DEVELOPMENTS

Bangladesh has become a poster child for the unfolding tragedy of climate change. The region’s unique geography and topography leave the nation prone to severe flooding, and global warming will likely worsen this condition in the years to come. If the phenomenon is in fact man-made, Bangladesh would bear a disproportionate brunt of the problem created by rapid modernization in other parts of the world, without fully enjoying its fruits. Bangladesh has not been lifted out of its abject poverty by the industrial revolution in the West; it could in fact drown because of it in the decades to come.

By no coincidence, Bangladesh tops the Global Climate Risk Index compiled by Germanwatch every year. Buffeted by melting glaciers in the Indian Himalayas, a rising Bay of Bengal, frequent coastal storms, and a network of hundreds of rivers and their tributaries, Bangladesh is a water world unto itself. 60% of the nation’s inhabitants are dependent on agriculture for their livelihood, and farmlands are particularly vulnerable to destruction by rising water and sea salt. To cope, Bangladesh’s disaster management capacity must improve dramatically.