We are learning that natural and built environments are not as independent as once thought. What is done to the biosphere eventually affects everyone. Many nongovernmental organizations and corporate entities, as well as stakeholders in other countries, are taking environmental issues very seriously. The insurance industry is concerned about the effects of global climate change and the resulting losses from storms and floods. Large agribusiness concerns are troubled by the effects of droughts and heat waves.
Financial institutions are uneasy about the effect of potential environmental liabilities.
Many in the real estate industry have begun effectively to address environmental issues in their projects. The industry has a responsibility also to encourage reasonable regulations to preserve and protect habitat and ecological systems. The public is awaking to a new sensibility about life and the planet that supports it. No one is immune to the effects of ecological mismanagement. We must grasp this important opportunity.