As we push towards a truly green and sustainable revolution, business people and ecologists are increasingly forced to learn one another’s language.  Since the inception of environmentalism as a movement, business and economic activity was implicitly viewed as anathema, cruel and unresponsive, and responsible for the destruction of the natural world.

Now, as climate change pushes us closer to the edge, and consumers are demanding accountability on the part of business leaders, both sides are being forced to come to the table and search for a way out of our global environmental crisis.  The most clear-headed environmentalists have realized that only by cooperating with industry do we have any hope keeping our fragile civilization intact.   And many of the business leaders of the world have been forced to accept the inevitable conclusions of an overwhelming body of scientific evidence.  They too realize that change is a necessity.

This is not to say that the transition is a painless one.   For centuries business leaders have only been concerned with turning a profit.  Issues of social and environmental responsibility were generally taken into account by only the most enlightened merchants.   Now that they are forced to consider the ecological impact of their actions, they apply the same logic of business to the world of biology.  Where, they demand to know, is the cost-benefit analysis of a reforestation scheme, or sustainable pasture management?

Ecologists and environmentalists have always thought in different terms: hectares of critical habitat preserved, ecosystem productivity, and conversation of biodiversity.  Though these variables are measurable, they tell us very little about the economic value of ecosystem services.

To be sure, some scientists have measured the monetary value of our ecosystem services, putting hefty price tags on the importance of the clean air provided by trees, the critical agricultural services provided by bees and other pollinators, and the aesthetic value of bird song and open space.   Die-hard environmentalists cringe when bioeconomists put a monetary value on the things that they consider priceless, but here it is important to remember the wise words of the Prophet Muhammad: “Speak to people according to their understanding”.

And so, for environmentalism to become a viable model for our future, it must fuse with the language of business and become a core value of our important economic and social institutions.  Business leaders too must learn to broaden their horizons, sometimes investing in activities and projects that are risky and innovative, but also hold the promise of increased sales, enhanced consumer confidence, and long-term sustainable growth.

No, we cannot buy our way to sustainability, but rethinking consumerism does not mean we must abandon capitalism.   We see the emergence of a new economic order in the form of carbon trading schemes, alternative energy, Fair Trade coffee, and green building.   The extent to which these initiatives will have a true and lasting impact on the future trajectory of our civilization remains to be seen, time will be the judge of that, but we must make every effort to close the self-defeating gap between the world of commerce and the world of environmental sustainability.