Environmental and Social Safeguards

Forests are highly valued for the wood and other non-timber products they provide such as fruit, food, medicinal products, and countless other benefits with aesthetic and spiritual value. Forests also play an important role in protecting the soil, generating water and oxygen, and housing very rich biodiversity. Their value to humanity is immeasurable. These attributes of … [Read more...] about Two ways governments put a price on forests

New infrastructure often requires space, and many development projects have to destroy or modify habitats in order to make that space. Even with the most careful planning, the reality is that trees may need to be bulldozed and wildlife may be killed. To avoid this, it is a common practice to move- or translocate- plants and animals out of harm’s way, and re-plant or release … [Read more...] about Translocation: To move or not to move

The social safeguards cluster works to ensure that people displaced by bank financed projects are left in better circumstances than before and that they also benefit from development projects. Executing a successful involuntary resettlement program is an enormous challenge because it entails negotiating with multiple stakeholders, some who often have competing interests. The … [Read more...] about What are the basic principles of a resettlement policy?

The Convention on Biological Diversity’s Global Biodiversity Outlook IV paints a dire picture: We are destroying an unprecedented amount of habitat that plants and animals need to survive. We are overexploiting and overfishing the oceans. We are contaminating our water sources and putting pressure on critical habitats such as coral reefs. We illegally hunt and kill animals. We … [Read more...] about Three Key Steps to Prevent the Demise of the World’s Biodiversity

Upon reading the much anticipated Papal Encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si', I found myself immediately looking for ways to get it into the hands of the CEOs I know. While it is a genuinely great read, it is even better as a resource for institutionalizing ethical business principles, and a brilliant illustration of what servant leadership looks like. There will be … [Read more...] about Why ‘Laudato Si’ Should be on the Reading List of Every CEO