1) The document discusses the environmental costs of power usage in South Africa, noting the coal, water, and carbon dioxide used to produce each kilowatt-hour of electricity from Eskom. 2) It examines past questionable predictions about resource depletion and population growth that did not come true. 3) A key point is that the globe is in a state of "ecological overshoot" where we are using resources 1.5 times faster than Earth can replenish them, leading to problems like depleted groundwater and collapsing fisheries.

1. Green solutions:
NO TIME FOR CYNICS
ALEX HETHERINGTON - Benefits Beyond Compliance
PRESENTATION TO
110% Green
August 16 2016
Cape Town

2. ALEX HETHERINGTON - Benefits Beyond Compliance

3. ALEX HETHERINGTON - Benefits Beyond Compliance
The environmental cost of powering up
Every kilowatt-hour of Eskom electricity (1kWh):
• 0.55Kg of coal
• 1.35l of water
• 1kg of CO2

4. ALEX HETHERINGTON - Benefits Beyond Compliance
The environmental cost of powering up
Ave. SA med-high income residential house - 12000kWh
• 6.6 tonnes of coal
• 16.2 kilolitres of water
• 12 tonnes of CO2

5. ALEX HETHERINGTON - Benefits Beyond Compliance
QUESTIONABLE PREDICTION
RESOURCES:
CLAIM:
Harrison Brown, Nat. Academy of Sciences
(Scientific American, 1970)
- lead, zinc, tin, gold and silver gone
by 1990
- copper by 2000

6. ALEX HETHERINGTON - Benefits Beyond Compliance
QUESTIONABLE PREDICTION
REALITY:
US Geological Survey (2004) estimates
at present rate of mining, known
reserves of copper to last another 33
years.
• Zinc, 25 years
•Silver, 14 years
•Tin, 23 years
•Gold, 16 years
•Lead, 23 years

7. ALEX HETHERINGTON - Benefits Beyond Compliance
Population
CLAIM:
1. Paul Erhlich (The Population Bomb, 1968)
- World population, 2000 = 7 billion.
QUESTIONABLE PREDICTION
REALITY:
1. World Pop, 2000 = 6.1 billion

8. ALEX HETHERINGTON - Benefits Beyond Compliance
THE REALITY?
Hometruths
Concept of the Ecological FootprintEcological Footprint
represents the area of biologically productive land, air and
water a population requires to provide the resources it
consumes.

9. ALEX HETHERINGTON - Benefits Beyond Compliance

10. ALEX HETHERINGTON - Benefits Beyond Compliance
ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT
The globe is in “ecological overshoot”.
-1.7 global hectares to sustain one person.
(WWF, UN, OECD, Stockholm Environment Institute, Sustainable Europe Research Institute, SustainAbility,
Global Footprint Network, Wuperthal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy)
We are consuming 2.6ha per person (2014).

11. ALEX HETHERINGTON - Benefits Beyond Compliance
ECOLOGICAL OVERSHOOT

12. ALEX HETHERINGTON - Benefits Beyond Compliance
REGIONAL FOOTPRINT

13. ALEX HETHERINGTON - Benefits Beyond Compliance
MEANING OF ECOLOGICAL OVERSHOOT
“Overshoot” leads to, among others:
1. Depleted groundwater
I.e. the very assets on which our economy is dependent.
2. Collapsing fisheries
3. CO2 accumulation in atmosphere
4. Deforestation

14. ALEX HETHERINGTON - Benefits Beyond Compliance
MEANING OF ECOLOGICAL OVERSHOOT
Business cannot function if ecosystems and the
services they deliver - like water, biodiversity,
fibre, food and climate - are degraded or out of
balance.
“
”- WORLD BUSINESS COUNCIL FOR SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT

15. ALEX HETHERINGTON - Benefits Beyond Compliance
QUESTION
Where did the message go wrong?
Doomsdayers Vs. Ecological footprint realists
Persistent problems

16. ALEX HETHERINGTON - Benefits Beyond Compliance
CLIMATE CHANGE
I am convinced that this challenge, and
what we do with it, will define us, our
era, and, ultimately, our global legacy.
It is time for new thinking.
- Ban-Ki-Moon, United Nations
Secretary-General.
“
”

17. ALEX HETHERINGTON - Benefits Beyond Compliance
CLIMATE CHANGE
Fact:
Without GHGs, ave. surface temp of the earth would be 33°C
colder.
Fact:
GHGs at levels unprecedented in last 650 000 years.
Fact:
CO2 @ 280 ppm in pre-industrial times, now 400 ppm.
Fact:
Methane (CH4) levels increased 150% since pre-industrial times.
N2O increased 18%.
(IPCC, 2001)

18. ALEX HETHERINGTON - Benefits Beyond Compliance
CLIMATE CHANGE

19. ALEX HETHERINGTON - Benefits Beyond Compliance

20. Thank you
Alex Hetherington
Tel: 021-789-0448
alex@ahmedia.co.za
www.ahmedia.co.za/alexhetherington
www.alexhetheringtonsustainabilityblog.com