Suchergebnisse

Is it possible to solve the tremendous economic-environmental policy challenges imposed on developing countries' industries and governments due to the intense demands by international organizations to restrain the crisis of global warming? Let us look at some initiatives proposed to address the environmental crisis: By means of greenwashing the conventional linear chains of the most polluting industries. Through public policies and strict legislation, with exorbitant fines. Through extreme citizen education efforts. Through innovative technologies. The answer is none of the above. Even with the technological advancements and the growth of markets, and the governments' ambitious long-term commitments, the likelihood of adherence thereto is almost nil, mainly for developing countries, if something drastic, disruptive and comprehensive is not carried out. ; ¿Es posible resolver los grandes retos en política económica-ambiental que se han impuesto a las industrias y a los gobiernos de los países en desarrollo, resultado de las exigentes demandas que han hecho los organismos internacionales para contener la crisis del calentamiento global? Veamos algunas propuestas que se han planteado para resolver la crisis ambiental: mediante el enverdecimiento (greenwashing) de las cadenas lineales convencionales de las industrias mas contaminantes; por medio de políticas publicas y de legislación apagafuegos, con multas exorbitantes; a través de un esfuerzo extremo de culturización del ciudadano; o por medio de innovadoras tecnologías. La respuesta es que ninguna de las anteriores. Aun con los avances tecnológicos y el crecimiento de los mercados, y de los ambiciosos compromisos gubernamentales en el largo plazo, principalmente para países en desarrollo, la posibilidad de cumplimiento, es casi nula sino se ejecuta algo drástico, rompiente y de carácter integral.

Economic forces and industrialization are determinant factors in wealth creation; however, an important part of the equation has been omitted by most of the industrial and social players, especially in developing countries. The business cycle's impact on the environment, on the life cycle assessment, and on the biocapacity of the earth has had a tremendous effect on the equilibrium of all the sub-systems (economic, social, and environmental resources). Based on these systemic requirements, a synergistic approach involving all the stakeholders has been collated and a systemic framework, the Sustainable WIT Model has been developed, and is designed to build "sustainable clusters of high value, globally competitive industries" for developing regions. This paper discusses how the Sustainable WIT Model has been applied to one of the most important industries currently having an impact on economic, social, and environmental ecosystems worldwide - the sustainable construction industry - in a region where it is creating suitable conditions for a city to become part of a knowledge-based economy. The SWIT Model considers the economic growth of the industrial life cycle as a priority, but also includes other external forces that have previously been ignored, such as societal impact, human well-being, and bio capacity, in such a way that the sustainability cycle can be economically viable.

Analysis of more than 20 projects for clustering small and medium enterprises and supporting organizations in different Latin American countries has uncovered a number of barriers, activities, structures, strategies, policies and procedures that impact competitiveness. These factors mean that there are different appropriate industrial cluster and industrial business models appropriate for the social, economic, and business conditions of the Latin American region. It is difficult to transfer successful practices from industrialized countries to developing regions with a light adaptation, because it is impossible to have "clustering readiness" when resources are scarce, regional and industrial conditions are hostile, and associated capabilities of the participants of clustering are poor or nonexistent. These conclusions are supported by applying a methodology designed by the authors to identify global opportunities and formulate viable cluster structures, capable of converting isolated scarce resources in difficult situations, into world-class regional value propositions.