ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on atmospheric change, where an international political process has defined targets and timetables for reduction in the production and emission of ozone-depletion and greenhouse gases. It explores the issues raised by stratospheric ozone depletion and climate change, as viewed from the perspective of business managers and owners drawn from companies rather smaller than the transnational corporations whose names recur in accounts of international attention to the global atmosphere. The chapter provides an interview result which was undertaken with 65 individuals associated with 52 companies and organisations in Britain, France and Germany, between May 1996 and June 1998. The overwhelming majority of interviewees accepted that business has environmental responsibilities, typically expressed in terms of legislative compliance, but extending to technological innovation, waste minimisation and eco-efficiency. The scientific uncertainty of atmospheric change was not widely acknowledged by interviewees, even in the refrigeration sector which has been mostly affected by concerns about CFCs and other chemicals.
