Questions Executives and Board Members Should Be Asking Themselves
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 03.14.07
It's all in the numbers. Ninety percent (90%) chance that Climate Change is attributable to human activity. Ten (10) years to get serious about the problem. Possibility of climate catastrophe by mid-century under the "business as usual" scenario. Less than a third of the US populace still in denial. Billions being invested in renewable energy development by private sector. It's also in the symbolism. Those publicly questioning the science seem to be a mix of propagandists and "experts" who, themselves, have published little or no peer reviewed climate research. European companies are acting all smarty pants. What's a US executive to do? In reporting on a 31-company survey conducted for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, Andrew Hoffman, associate director of University of Michigan's Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise, stated:- "companies with a history of climate-related activity are trying to shift their strategies from a focus on risk management and bottom-line protection to an emphasis on business opportunities and top-line enhancements." We've developed a list of questions that business executives, in general, might be asking themselves to get started.
Is there time to sell off those energy-intensive divisions before the rest of the market catches on?
Will my retirement condo on Amelia Island be flooded? (Near Jacksonville on FL coast as shown for projected 3M sea level rise.)
Are we still listed as contributing to Competitive Enterprise Institute?
Is it better to grow our business where renewable energy is plentiful - Buffalo NY or Seattle WA come to mind - or where coal is, and will remain, the dominant electricity source?
What are those guys in R&D working on anyway?
Really? Have we looked at the life cycle carbon foot print of products before they go commercial?
What is the competition doing?
What does the strategic plan say about climate change?
Why aren't we getting mentioned on TreeHugger?
Why don't we have more women on the Board of Directors?
Image credit: JOINT BOARD MEETING, NOVEMBER 1941Ibiblio
