Developing an environmental strategy for UK film - BFI

Sustainability
Since the beginning of the industrial revolution natural resources have been plundered, habitats
destroyed, the land, oceans, air and waterways polluted, species hunted to extinction and the
climate changed, all in the name of economic development and the progression of human society.
Concern for the environment has steadily gathered pace since the 1960s, when issues relating to
the state of the environment prompted the beginning of today’s modern day environmental
movement. However, it was not until the 1990s that a flurry of environmental alarm, activity and
multilateral research raised the environmental agenda once again, leading to global awareness
which set businesses, organisations and individuals in line for a plethora of environmental
messages, legislation and policies.
Sustainability is a term often posed as a solution for economic growth which supports conditions
for social cohesion and offers some protection to the environment. However, the successful
implementation of sustainability involves the combination of economic, social AND
environmental factors, as illustrated in Figure 1. However, economic development is often given
precedence over the preservation and protection of the environment. Figure 2 introduces an
alternative model emphasising the fundamental role the environment plays, exemplifying that a
durable wealth creation process cannot take place in a world of ecological stress 1 .
Society
Figure 1: Sustainability
Environment
Developing an Environmental Strategy for UK Film
S
S – Sustainability
Economy
1
O’Riordan, T and Voisey, H. 1998. The Transition to Sustainability: The Politics of Agenda 21 in
Europe, London, Earthscan.
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