Turning The Tide - A New Vision Of Eco-Nomics

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 09:36:49 GMT

Sustainability challenges have economic consequences. This is true in every sector and in every country, and for most people it is too scary to even contemplate. These economic consequences range from equity and burden sharing around climate or biodiversity to the fear of jobs lost from moving from a fossil-fuel to a green-tech economy. The protection of the tropical rainforests as a global common asset is a good example. Who has the right to use the resources the rainforests provide and how? Who "pays" for the environmental damage caused, now and in the future? We can expect this discussion to become more heated as the field of vision expands to include who should pay for the effects of climate change, and who should be paid? Who should make the most sacrifices - the rich or the poor? ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Trusting Government And Business To Work Together

Fri, 15 May 2009 10:48:12 GMT

All around us a new industrial revolution is beginning. WBCSD President Bjorn Stigson calls it a "lean, mean, clean" revolution. It will be clean because we know we cannot go on polluting as we have been and maintain functioning ecosystems; it will be lean because a growing population and the need to alleviate poverty will leave us with a resource-constrained world with higher prices for food, oil and gas; and it will be mean because the transformation this revolution will bring will create winners and losers. This revolution is happening in a world in transition: population growth shifting from developed to developing countries, along with the bulk of tomorrow's consumers; and shifting fortunes in 2005 the GDP of emerging economies outstripped that of developed economies. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Can America Match The Average Mileage Of Other Developed Nations?

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 09:59:34 GMT

Now that US President Obama has finally managed to up the ante on gas mileage standards in the US and address greenhouse gas emissions, why is the auto industry acting like this is a big surprise? Obama issued two memoranda on January 26th to address mileage standards and greenhouse gas emissions. He is pushing for standards to take effect two years down the road (2011 model-year). On greenhouse gas emissions, he wants states to be able to set their own emissions standards, doing this by granting a waiver to California to set its own standards. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Obama's Sustainable Development Challenges

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:12:28 GMT

As January 20th ushers in a new era for America and indeed for the world, Barack Obama will have a cartload of sustainable development challenges to deal with if his presidency is to be all that he and the public want and expect. While the "Great Recession" could make addressing these challenges perilous and hard fought, with convincing rhetoric and bold action, Obama would do well to address economic concerns through sustainability. Obama has already taken steps in that direction. During his campaign he pledged to spend US$ 150 billion over the next decade on clean energy, creating an estimated 5 million jobs. While he hasn't given full details, he is expected to aim for doubling alternative energy production by 2012 and to build a new electricity "smart grid", all-the-while modernizing 75% of federal buildings and improving energy efficiency in 2 million homes to reduce consumer energy bills. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Before Christmas Tribute To Sustainable Development - "SD"

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 14:15:41 GMT

This poem is offered to encourage joining the "good fight" for sustainable development (SD). Done in good spirits, with credit to Clement Clarke Moore, author of A Visit from St. Nicholas, now known as "Twas a night before Christmas." -Twas a night of sustainability' -Twas a night of sustainability, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a louse; The badges were hung by the entry with care, In hopes that participants soon would be there; For they were all nestled all snug in their beds While visions of climate change clanged in their heads; And climate with regulations and carbon with caps, Had just started discussing long-suffering maps, When out in the parking lot there arose such a clatter, We sprang to the door to see what was the matter.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

What Will Business Get From Poznan?

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:16:07 GMT

The world watched, although in what seems to have been a relatively detached manner, given the general lack of coverage, the events happening over the last two weeks at the UN's climate change conference in Poznan, Poland (1-12 December). "Present but not contributing" would aptly describe some of the nations there. The US had a delegation, but it represented outgoing president Bush. Obama did not send his own climate team, although he has called climate change "a matter of urgency." "It has affected the meeting in a fairly significant way," said Gus Silva-Chavez, a policy expert at the Environmental Defense Fund in Washington who has been observing the closed negations. "A lot of people think: -this is not the time to put our cards on the table. Let's wait for the new administration. Why agree to anything now?'" ["White House change hobbles climate session", International Herald Tribune, 11 December 2008.]... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Sustainability's Success

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:50:30 GMT

The financial meltdown has proven how badly things need to change. In July the world was focused on faltering trade negotiations, managing high energy and food costs, climate change and ecosystem degradation. Today, the recent financial collapse has led to a large-scale evaporation of trust in markets. The irony is that leading companies have long been trying to convince the financial markets to value sustainable development, the companies that pursue it, and the long-term view. The WBCSD has long been calling for bold governance to manage climate change and for governments to recognize business as a solution provider for that and other sustainable development challenges, in terms of investment, innovation, technology and job creation. This idea is finally catching on, especially with the "proof" that sustainability is not a synonym of liability. "The companies that sit atop Fortune's 2008 Accountability Rating don't see sustainability as optional," says a 24 November article in Fortune Magazine. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

G8 Leaders And Climate Change

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 08:35:05 GMT

Some 100 CEOs of global companies representing all sectors and regions have endorsed a detailed statement urging G8 leaders to adopt an "environmentally effective and economically efficient framework" to succeed the Kyoto Protocol in 2012. Delivered to Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda of Japan, who is hosting the annual G8 summit in July, the recommendations urge the adoption of a rapid and fundamental strategy by governments to bring about a low-carbon world economy. A multi-industry, cross-regional steering committee that included WBCSD members Alcoa, Duke Energy, EDF, Eskom, Petrobras, Shell, TEPCO, TNT and Vattenfall, developed the recommendations in cooperation with the WBCSD, the World Economic Forum and The Pew Center for Global Climate Change.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Bringing Business and Government to the Table?

Thu, 01 May 2008 08:16:19 GMT

In another effort to jump-start investments in clean technologies and save the world, representatives from business, government and academia came together in Brussels on 29 April for a "CleanTech" forum. These "corporate executives responsible for sustainability initiatives, entrepreneurs, early stage and established cleantech companies, utility and industry executives involved with emerging technology ventures and strategic alliances, professional service providers focused in the areas of legal, financial accounting and management, and governments/economic development councils, policy makers, scientists and researchers," says the CleanTech website, aimed to exchange information about cleantech business and investment opportunities. WBCSD President Bjorn Stigson addressed the Forum, looking ahead to 2050 and global changes for a low-carbon economy. His comments reflected the reality of today's business world: the increasingly resource- and carbon-constrained arena in which companies are operating.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

"Guide To The Guides" Aims To Save World's Forests

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 09:04:49 GMT

Twenty-eight thousand square miles of forest the approximate size of Ireland were converted to other land uses each year between 2000 and 2005 (source: United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization). Fifty-four countries have lost 90% or more of their forest cover (source: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment). Encouragingly, forest area in Europe, North America and China has been growing in the past decade due to reforestation initiatives. However, rapid forest loss continues in the tropical regions of South America, Africa and Asia, where socio-economic and political problems run counter to forest conservation and sustainable management. Statistics like these bring home the enormous sustainable development challenges facing the world today, challenges that business cannot address alone. There are many resources out there to help companies that use forest products in their processes or as commercial outputs, such as construction materials and paper, procure them sustainably. But their sheer numbers are so confusing for corporate buyers, much less the general public who uses the end product, that their uptake is slow. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Responding to Ecosystem Degradation

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:03:01 GMT

Is it possible that another equally serious threat will soon supplant climate change on the world stage, taking over headlines, making its presence felt in the most remote regions? And might this threat, while linked to climate change, threaten business in new and different ways, ways which we can hardly imagine today, but which companies must heed if they want to be in business tomorrow? Ecosystems provide companies with a wide variety of benefits or services including freshwater, wood, pollination, climate regulation, and protection from natural hazards, to name a few. World Resources Institute President Jonathan Lash believes that the world's forests, wetlands and other ecosystems are under tremendous pressure due to climate change and forest conversion for other uses including cattle raising and cash crop production, among other factors. "As ecosystems degrade, companies will face operational, regulatory, and reputational risks while those that offer solutions may find new business opportunities and new sources of revenue," he says.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

My Carbon, My Responsibility?

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 09:43:39 GMT

In an important step forward, the business voice was included in discussions at the Major Economies Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii at the end of January, where the WBCSD presented the business case for climate action. The US-led talks brought together the United Nations and the 17 major economies responsible for about 80% of the world's emissions. It was aimed at improving understanding of how to reach agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol in 2013 - the Bali Action Plan. The main stumbling blocks on the road towards a global agreement remain: Who's carbon is it that is building up in the atmosphere and who is responsible for what actions in the future?... Read the full story on TreeHugger

From Patent Protection To Patent Sharing

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 08:44:56 GMT

Taking their inspiration from the success of free and open-source software, where information sharing has led to the bountiful new product creation, IBM, Nokia, Pitney-Bowes and Sonya have created the Eco-Patent Commons to share their environmental patents. In this open-source domain administered by the WBCSD, registered companies can contribute technology patents that benefit the environment but don't represent an essential source of business advantage for them. Until today there has been no organized effort to make patents available, without royalty, to help enable the world community to reduce waste, pollution, global warming, and energy demands. Their interest in this is three-fold: first, by sharing their patents, they can access innovations and solutions to accelerate and facilitate environmentally friendly ideas and perhaps lead to further innovation. Second, the companies are in a unique leadership opportunity to make a difference towards sustainable development by sharing their innovations. Third, the Commons provides an opportunity for businesses to identify common areas of interest and establish new collaborative development efforts.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Responding to Bali

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 09:25:12 GMT

2008 will be very busy both for business and policy-makers and much of what happens this year will have a strong bearing on the future, especially as concerns climate change. "You are the key to a low-carbon future. If Bali will do what I hope it will do, we are facing the enormous challenge of shaping a post-2012 climate change deal in only two years time. Your input is indispensable to frame a deal that is not only effective in terms of emission reductions, but also makes economic sense," said Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the Bali Global Business Day. The Bali climate change meetings became a challenging, high-tension affair before a "Bali Roadmap" was finally agreed to on Dec. 15th, one day after the meetings were supposed to officially conclude. In the end, the strong views of some countries, in particular the reluctance of the US and India to have mandatory emissions reductions targets, coupled with issues surrounding funding and technology flows to developing countries delayed the outcome. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Creating a Global Carbon Market

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 07:37:07 GMT

As buzz surrounding the UN climate change conference in Bali continues to grow, countries worldwide are creating or ramping up their own strategies to combat climate change. Even the US has jumped into the fray, with cities and states and even companies (think GE, GM, Alcan, Dow and DuPont, Alcoa, PepsiCo and Xerox) devising their own plans in the absence of any action from Washington and lobbying the government to take the leap. Countries are increasingly integrating carbon market strategies into policy formulation. For example, just as you can buy, sell and trade the rights to emit sulfur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the US, the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) lets you do the same for carbon dioxide. Basically acting as a policy instrument, this sort of cap-and-trade initiative provides economic incentives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, the design and implementation of carbon markets reflect differing imperatives between developing and developed nations, raising questions about how they are developed and what it would take to link them together into a single global carbon market.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Policies To Change The World

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 12:42:12 GMT

Developing nations have as much or more at stake in the outcome of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meetings in Bali than the developed countries that will control the debate. How can businesses best resolve this contradiction and help developing nations act? According to Exxon-Mobil Chairman Rex Tillerson, the world is now using some 150,000 liters, or about 40,000 gallons, of oil every second. Such behavior is at odds with messages that are being pushed by governments and businesses worldwide. They are saying that energy usage, especially oil, needs to be reduced because of its climate change impacts and because world supplies won't last forever. This behavior also makes it difficult for alternative energies, such as solar, wind, biofuels and nuclear, to gain market share. Even with prices hovering around US$ 100 a barrel, most companies do not see the incentive to take risks and jump into the renewables arena. But energy is critical to continued economic growth - the International Energy Agency (IEA) sees population growth and increasing industrialization driving demand for energy upwards by more than 50% between now and 2030. And fossil fuels, with their associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, are expected to be a major contributor to meeting these future demands. Energy demand will rise most rapidly in developing countries as they acquire and build up energy services for growth. Without convenient, affordable and less energy-intensive alternatives, these countries are likely to follow a high-carbon pathway, similar to that of the developed world.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Influencing The Post-Kyoto Framework

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:27:27 GMT

Governments, NGOs and even CEOs will soon convene in Bali for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP) for talks on a post-Kyoto framework. Debate in this area seems to be at a tipping point, with carbon emissions reductions of 50% or more by 2050 being seriously discussed worldwide. "To meet such targets, both society and business must change with some urgency and on a huge scale," said WBCSD President Bjorn Stigson during the Council's October meeting in Brussels. "Governments and business are increasingly working together, giving us a window of opportunity to influence framework conditions through concrete proposals." Companies will also unite on December 10th to tell governments what business wants in the post-Kyoto framework. This Bali Global Business Day (www.balibusinessday.org) will bring together 200-300 decision-makers from companies, governments, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations. The event will send a strong message that business wants a successful completion of a new global climate change framework beyond 2012 that includes a clear and ambitious long-term strategy for reducing global carbon and greenhouse gas emissions. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Cementing the dual goals of development and sustainability

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 11:45:23 GMT

No, there were "no climate change protesters waiting to jeer as the chief executives and other senior figures of one of the world's biggest industries gathered on Wednesday," in Brussels, as David Adam wrote in "The unheralded polluter: cement industry comes clean on its impact" (The Guardian, October 12th). There was nothing to jeer about. The nine cement industry CEOs and other senior managers were in Brussels on October 10th to discuss the progress of an industry initiative of which they are part: the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI). Formed in 1999, the CSI is finding new ways for the industry to reduce its ecological footprint, understand how it contributes to the societies where it operates and increase stakeholder engagement. Today, 18 cement producers contribute to this global effort. Most people, green groups or others, do not see the cement industry as an environmental villain. It is the key ingredient in concrete and a literal "building block" for most countries as economies grow and cement demand soars. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Lobbying and sustainable development -A question of transparency

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 08:58:11 GMT

Companies that claim to champion sustainable development want the public to believe their claims. Thus they want to be trusted, and to be trusted they need to be transparent about all of their activities. But how transparent can a company be about its influence peddling in general and its government lobbying in particular? Many a company has been bitten by the charge that they are lobbying merely for their own interests, and against the interests of the public and the environment and even against the ideals expressed in corporate missions statements and the speeches of CEOs. Of course, lobbying itself is not evil. Some company lobbyists today proudly describe how they take their annual sustainability reports or corporate responsibility reports into parliaments and senates to encourage lawmakers to put in place policies that support good corporate actions. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Climate Do-Gooders?

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 10:17:57 GMT

The best strategy to deal with climate change is to make the rest of the world as rich as New York, argues Bjoern Lomborg, the Danish political scientist and author of "The Skeptical Environmentalist". In his opinion, what we need to do is to ensure that people elsewhere can afford things like shoring up their coastlines and buying air conditioners. In a September 11 article entitled "-Feel Good' vs. -Do Good' on Climate" for The New York Times, columnist John Tierney, accompanied by Dr. Lomborg, took readers on a walk to "an old wooden building near the Brooklyn Bridge that is home to the Bridge Cafe" on Water Street, so named because it once stood next to the water along the shore of Lower Manhattan. While the point of this article would appear to be that New York has done a good job of keeping the water away from the city "Dr. Lomborg and I had to walk over two-and-a-half blocks of landfill to reach the current shoreline," he says Tierney's actual point, after further reading, is that New York is protected from the effects of climate change, including the rising water levels, because it is a rich city, and America a rich country.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Water: Measure It; DO It

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 07:34:12 GMT

Welcome to the Global Water Tool. Developed by the World Business Council For Sustainable Development, the Water Tool allows companies and organizations to map their water use and assess their impact on the availability of water. Although penned over 200 years ago, Coleridge's "Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink" could well describe the global situation today; and all the more so if we consider the rainfall that drenched much of Northern Europe and South Asia this summer, leaving many places under a meter of water and without freshwater supplies. The world is not "running out of water", but water is not always available when and where people need it. There's either too little of it, too much of it, or it's too polluted. More and more parts of the globe are becoming water-stressed. The global freshwater supply is under pressure from population increase, growing domestic consumption, increasing agricultural use and burgeoning industrial and energy demands. At the same time, the quality of freshwater is being compromised by domestic waste, industrial pollution and increased use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

How To Speed Up Action On Climate Change - An Industry Point Of View

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 12:57:45 GMT

Industries have a key role in protecting climate. But the din of pop culture or politicians positioning for attention sometimes drowns out the voice of industries working to meet green expectations. How have the climate progressives...if we can coin a phrase for industries responding to the challenge...banded together to speed up climate action? TreeHugger has an answer, courtesy of the World Business Council For Sustainable Development. That the chief executives of some 150 companies worldwide have committed to speeding up action on climate change can only be applauded. What may appear to be a hollow commitment, signed only by companies that want to bolster their "green" image without being held accountable, is actually an important first step in getting business to recognize the challenges and opportunities inherent in climate change, and then move to do something about it. Equally important, in addition to signing the statement, called "Caring for Climate: The Business Leadership Platform", companies are demanding that governments agree to workable and inclusive climate market mechanisms post-2012, when the Kyoto Protocol expires. They ask for the "urgent creation, in close consultation with the business community and civil society, of comprehensive, long-term and effective legislative and fiscal frameworks designed to make markets work for the climate, in particular policies and mechanisms intended to create a stable price for carbon."... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Reversing U.S. Energy Tax Policies - The Right Choice?

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 17:02:58 GMT

US Senate Democrats have decided to take President Bush at his word and help implement ways to combat climate change. Their first act may well be to reverse energy tax policies that currently benefit major oil companies and shift them to renewable energies and biofuels. By doing this, Democrats hope to shift America's focus from expanding domestic oil production to reducing global warming This is an admirable and laudable step, one that could put the US on the path to energy self-sufficiency. The bill that is headed to the Senate Finance Committee on June 19th would move some US$ 14 billion from oil companies over the next 10 years to new incentives for solar power, wind power, ethanol and other renewable energy sources. It also aims to collect US$ 10 billion from oil companies that drill for oil and gas offshore in federal waters but do not pay royalties to the US government. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

What do we Need to Tackle Climate Change? What Have we got?

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 14:33:24 GMT

On the eve of the G8 summit in Germany (June 6-8), it is worthwhile taking a cold, hard look at the resources we need as a society to manage the climate change challenge and compare those to the ones that we possess.

First, we need a common perception that we have a problem that must be addressed with some sense of urgency. Climate change is at a "tipping point" causing a growing sense of urgency. But it would be an exaggeration to say that this is a universally shared realization.

Second, we need willingness by governments to actually do something about it. That willingness will depend on the extent to which they believe their actions on energy and climate will get them elected or keeps them in office. That belief is lacking. Climate change was not a decisive election topic in France, and it is scoring low in US presidential election polls on important issues. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

TreeHugger Welcomes the World Business Council for Sustainable Development

Tue, 15 May 2007 14:24:23 GMT

Danielle Carpenter Sprungli provides the business perspective on sustainable development. She is Senior Editor at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, a CEO-led, global association of some 200 companies dealing exclusively with business and sustainable development."

The Council provides a platform for companies to explore sustainable development, share knowledge, experiences and best practices, and to advocate business positions on these issues in a variety of forums, working with governments, non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations.

Members are drawn from more than 35 countries and 20 major industrial sectors. The Council also benefits from a global network of about 60 national and regional business councils and regional partners.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

TreeHugger Welcomes Danielle Carpenter Sprungli!

Sun, 19 Jun 2005 11:49:49 GMT

Danielle Carpenter Sprungli is Assistant Communications Manager and Managing Editor for the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), where she has been working on sustainability and business issues for the past 7 years. Before joining the WBCSD, Dani worked in various communications capacities, including webmaster and web editor, publication and web design, and on issues surrounding energy and water, as a systems analyst for a major government project and in the travel and tourism industry. Dani holds degrees in English, French, Russian and Computer Science from the University of Southern California, the Sorbonne and the University of Geneva, and in her free time she enjoys reading, photography and hiking.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Recent Posts by TreeHugger's Danielle Carpenter Sprungli, WCSBD