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Latinos Urge Action on Climate Change – Poll

Category: Blog 24 Feb 2014

According to a recent poll conducted by the NRDC, climate change ranks second only to immigration reform among Latinos surveyed about major issues facing our country. A whopping 80 percent favored presidential action to fight climate change … showing a frustration with the lack of Congressional action on climate and energy policy. Interestingly, the poll results cut across all Latino demographics (although Latinos who identified as Republican were slightly less in favor of government intervention). These results provide evidence of stronger support for government action on climate change in the Latino community than in the U.S. as a whole. Interesting and telling, especially given this country’s changing demographics.

Now how to we motivate the Latino community to take action? Ideas?

Chinese Factory Attacks on the Rise as Pollution Concerns Grow

Category: News 17 Feb 2014

Last week, villagers in China attacked a metalwork factory that was polluting the local environment. The incident is only one in a series of confrontations that have taken place in recent months. Social unrest, driven by environmental concerns, is on the rise in China.

Residents of Baha, a town in the southwestern province of Yunnan, blamed the factory for air pollution that has been settling on their crops, making them impossible to sell. Last week, the villagers destroyed equipment and offices after the factory manager refused to meet with them and discuss their concerns. The vandalism led to a clash with police and the subsequent arrest of a number of protestors.

Coral Reef Collapse Could Leave Millions Without Food

Category: Blog 11 Feb 2014

Continuing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are destroying the world’s coral reefs, threatening a vital food source for millions of people around the globe. This constitutes one of the most direct threats of GHG emissions to human life.

GHG emissions threaten coral reefs in two central ways. Firstly, they result in rising ocean temperatures, which threaten coral’s ability to survive. Warmer water results in a phenomenon known as coral bleaching. This occurs when coral reacts to changing temperatures by releasing the algae that give them their color. This release, which renders them white, often results in the death of the coral polyps. According to a World Resources Institute study, 90% of reefs are expected to experience severe bleaching by the middle of the century.

This situation is compounded by ocean acidification. The Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory states that approximately 25% of the CO²released by human activity in absorbed by oceans, lowering the pH levels (lower pH levels mean a more acidic chemical makeup). Acidification stimulates the breakdown of coral reefs. It also results in a loss of carbonate ions throughout the ocean, making it increasingly difficult for many species, including the vital plankton, to build their shells and skeletons. The impact of this change on food chains is potentially disastrous.

The twin threat of rising water temperatures and increased acidification will likely result in the loss of the majority of the world’s coral reefs within decades. A recent article in The Seattle Times addressed this issue, and pointed out that six million people, from Africa to Indonesia, rely directly on reefs for food. Another 400 millions are indirectly linked to them. Researchers are, as of yet, unable to pinpoint exactly who will be impacted and to what degree. However, it is imperative that a lack of concrete understanding not delay action. Human livelihoods and lives are at hazard. The precautionary principle, which demands action on the basis of substantial risk, should be applied in the strongest terms when the stakes are this high.

Obama’s State of the Union Address Signals Increase in Environmental Legislation

Category: News 31 Jan 2014

“Climate change is a fact. And when our children’s children look us in the eye and ask if we did all we could to leave them a safer, more stable world, with new sources of energy, I want us to be able to say yes, we did.”

This was the message Barack Obama sent to the nation, and indeed the world, during his State of the Union address last week in Washington, D.C. The President took time in his speech to emphasize that his administration will act decisively over the next three years on both climate change and energy issues, with or without the help of Congress. Obama painted a picture of strong cooperation between his administration and businesses around the country on these two key issues, pledging that the federal government would work to make it easier for businesses to become more environmentally sustainable. For example, he stated that he would cut red tape in order to help businesses build new factories powered by American natural gas, which he described as the “bridge fuel” America needs to help the transition to more sustainable energy sources.

Greenbiz Webinar Outlines the Top Sustainability and Business Trends for 2014

Category: News 27 Jan 2014

Last week, GreenBiz held its seventh annual webinar on the State of Green Business. The webinar presented the top ten sustainable business trends of 2014. These trends represent what the GreenBiz team has identified as the most important factors that will shape corporate sustainability this year. A full report of the webinar can be found here.

1. “Collaboration Becomes An Accelerator”

GreenBiz has recognized business-to-business collaboration as one of the most important trends for 2014. As stated in the GreenBiz webinar report, company collaboration is “proving to be a potent tool for accelerating change within a sector, and particularly within a supply chain.” Collaboration will continue to be used as a central tool as businesses pursue greater sustainability.

“Chemical Transparency Creates a Window of Opportunity”

Several factors are coming together to accelerate corporate action on hazardous chemicals. California’s Green Chemistry Initiative represents a big leap in the regulatory sector. This law is forcing companies that sell goods in the state to take a closer look at the chemicals in their products, and replace harmful ones. Some large retailers, particularly Walmart and Target, are also driving change by independently responding to a growing number of studies and increasing public concern about chemicals by demanding that their suppliers disclose the ingredients they use or promise to cut out dangerous substances. These combined factors are breaking down the business-as-usual approach and providing an opportunity for the growth of green chemistry.

3. “Water Rises as a Risk Factor”

Water is absolutely essential to people and, in fact, to many companies. Water shortages in the supply chain can be disastrous. In recent years it has become one of the biggest global risk factors. GreenBiz asserts that companies increasingly have to compete with households and agriculture for the valuable commodity. Some corporations are being used as scapegoats for shortages and contamination incidents. GreenBiz also points out that the risks associated with water are not only to do with physical access, but also regulatory and reputational. Managing the risks associated with water will continue to be a top priority for many companies in 2014.

4. “Shadow Pricing Steps into the Limelight”

A growing number of companies are putting an estimated price on carbon emissions, water use, and land conservation, as part of “shadow pricing” initiatives. Often companies do this as part of long-term risk management strategies. It allows them to internally analyze sustainability issues using the financial value system that business understands. A growing and diverse group of companies are using the tactic, including companies in the utility, energy, technology, airlines, consumer brands, financial and retail, industries.

5. “The People Side of Sustainability Gets Legs”

Social issues are finally gaining the appropriate level of attention in many companies. The social side of sustainability has generally been overshadowed by environmental concerns. In 2013, news outlets were full of social labor rights stories, particularly in the apparel and technology industries. These industries, and the corporate world in general, will be paying much more attention to managing social risk and exploring potential opportunities in 2014.

6. “Food Sustainability Gets a Seat at the Table”

A growing global population and the rising demand for meat and protein in the developing world are creating more demand for food worldwide. At the same time, climate change, erosion and water shortages are limiting the availability of arable land. 2014 will see a focus on these issues.

7. “Employee Engagement Becomes Strategic”

Employee engagement has been part of corporate sustainability for years. However, recently, companies are switching gears and making it a much more strategic part of their sustainability plans. This is happening in part because there is a growing body of research on how best to engage employees in sustainability. Furthermore, more companies are realizing that engaging their workforce in sustainability can increase their productivity and workplace satisfaction.

8. “Energy Storage Becomes a Game-Changer”

Advances in battery technology are only now making the storage of renewable energy truly financially viable. 2014 will see a dramatic increase in the deployment of new technology that will help businesses move towards a low-carbon energy future.

9. “Cities Become Hotbeds of Promise”

Cities look set to continue to be the great hotbeds of sustainability innovation. “Smart city” technology is changing the way metropolitan areas function. The business world will find opportunity and chances to share innovations in the urban world.

10. “Buildings and Companies Go Positive”

“Net-Positive” has emerged as a new way of thinking in sustainability circles. Rather than companies trying to merely avoid doing harm, some are attempting to give back to society and the environment, leaving them better off than they were before. Coca-Cola and Pepsi, for example, are endeavoring to be water positive by giving back more water than they take with a variety of initiatives. This same principle is also being applied to buildings and will be an important facet of corporate sustainability in 2014.

Trucost Unveils New Sustainability Metrics at Annual GreenBiz Webinar

Category: News 22 Jan 2014

This week, GreenBiz held its annual webinar in conjunction with its release of the State of Green Business 2014 report. The webinar, which discussed the leading headlines and trends in sustainability and business detailed in the GreenBiz report, also presented corporate sustainability assessments based on the Natural Capital Leaders Index. This Index was recently developed by Trucost, a UK-based organization that specializes in the analysis of economic and environmental data.

The Natural Capital Leaders Index assesses companies in one of two ways: eco-efficiency success or their success at successfully “decoupling” environmental impact from economic growth. Joel Makower, CEO of GreenBiz, stated that he believes that the decoupling metric, “will become a new standard for assessing which companies are truly leaders in sustainability.”

Apparel Companies React to Cambodian Crackdown on Garment Workers

Category: News 13 Jan 2014

The Cambodian garment industry remains at a crossroads in the wake of last week’s violent government crackdown on striking laborers. The ten-day strike, called by labor unions to protest the garment factories’ minimum wage, ended abruptly when police opened fire on a crowd of workers in an industrial park on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. Four were killed, and many more injured and detained, in a government response that garment union leaders described as “beyond belief”. The incident has drawn the attention of the global media and placed pressure on both the Cambodian government and the apparel retailers who buy from factories in the country.

This drama is playing out in the larger context of a global struggle in which apparel companies are being forced to redefine their approach to labor rights. Working conditions, safety, and wages have been under constant media scrutiny in Asia since the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, last April. The pressure from this incident and the subsequent strikes focused apparel retailers’ attention on labor rights and has led to increasingly public and rapid responses to incidents and general concerns.

Obama’s Environmental Failures

Category: Legislation 06 Jan 2014

In our last blog post, we discussed some of U.S. president Obama’s most important environmental achievements. While the president has accomplished much over the past five years, not all has gone according to plan. This post will look at Obama and his administration’s most notable environmental policy failures.

Despite the president’s many achievements on climate change, Obama and his team have been heavily criticized for not being more vocal on the issue. Many activists argue that he has failed to use his platform to educate the American public on the importance of the issue. This silence is in part, as critics argue, a capitulation to Republican opposition. Whatever the cause, the U.S. has no national climate change policy.

Failures in other areas have compounded his critic’s views that his environmental policy has been too soft and has been, to a certain extent, overpowered by Republican resistance. Despite initially delaying a bill drafted by the Bush administration that would allow drilling off the U.S. coast, the president eventually reversed his stance and allowed oil companies to continue with these operations.Obama has also signaled several times that, although he opposes the Keystone pipeline, he does not have the power to stop it from going ahead.

Rather than complete failures in policy, some of these examples can be partially seen as a purposeful political strategy. They demonstrate that Obama has accepted that some issues are currently too contentious to be handled without political caution. In the case of climate change, by keeping the issue relatively low profile, Obama has been able to stealthily implement modest but successful policies. However, there is no doubt that opposition from the Republican party has led directly to the failure of various policies and the watering-down of Obama’s overall environmental plan.

One of Obama’s most significant environmental defeats was the failure of the 2009 cap-and-trade bill (entitled the “American Clean Energy and Security Act”), to make it through the Senate. In his first term, the president may have lacked the political will to push more aggressively for legislation such as this; however, there are signs that he may opt for a more assertive approach to environmental policy in his final three years in office.

Obama’s Environmental Achievements

Category: Legislation 02 Jan 2014

With five of Barack Obama’s eight years in office nearly complete, the president’s environmental legacy is beginning to take shape. Obama and his administration have not shied away from confronting important and controversial environmental issues, and they have many achievements to show for it. This blog post will focus on some of Obama’s most important environmental accomplishments. In an upcoming post we will discuss the most notable failures of his environmental policy.

Many of Obama’s policies on climate change, perhaps the most important environmental issue he faces, have been markedly bold and successful. In 2009, Obama convened the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force, and gave it the task of drawing up recommendations on how the federal government could best mitigate and prepare for the affects of climate change. This brought clarity to his administration’s climate change policy and provided the groundwork for much of the success that followed. In the same year, Obama signed executive order 13514, which required federal agencies to make “reduction of greenhouse gases a priority”, and established an array of ambitious efficiency targets for them to meet.

Further notable climate change action included establishing fuel standards for cars and trucks and collaboration with local governments to promote climate change adaptation and resiliency.

Many scholars point to U.S. CO²emissions as proof of the success of these actions. Between 2007 and 2013, U.S. CO² emissions dropped 12-13%. This drop, in the most important greenhouse gas, is the most of any OECD country during that same time period and represents real progress. This reduction can be accounted for in part by the slowing of the U.S. economy after the 2008 financial crash. However, the fact that CO² emissions did not return to their previous levels as the economy recovered is evidence of a lasting transformation.

The Obama administration has also focused much of their environmental efforts on developing the U.S.’s renewable energy output. Obama and his team have successfully helped the country increase its use of solar, wind, and biofuels over the last decade. Their policies have included the expansion of renewable energy production on federal lands and the signing of an executive order mandating that the federal government triple its use of renewable energy by 2020.

While there are many other environmental issues that have been addressed by the Obama administration successfully, the issues of climate change and renewable energy output have been at the forefront of their policy agenda. Despite heavy political opposition, the current administration has been able to achieve much in these areas. Obama’s recent public dialogue and aggressive use of executive orders suggestions that the next three years may see an acceleration of action on climate change, renewable energy, and other key environmental issues.

KPMG Survey Reveals Global Expansion of Sustainability Reporting

Category: News 17 Dec 2013

KPMG recently released the latest results of an ongoing survey that tracks the worldwide trends of corporate sustainability reporting. The results of the survey reveal that the number of companies generating sustainability reports is continuing to grow, particularly in the Asia Pacific region. However, despite growth in the number of companies producing reports, the survey found that there is serious weakness in the overall quality and depth of many of these reports.

According to the survey, 93% of the largest 250 companies in the world (by revenue) now produce sustainability reports. In the U.S., 86% of the largest 250 companies do so. While the proportion of U.S. companies has remained relatively stable for several years, the Asia Pacific region has seen a massive increase. In 2011 only 49% of companies in the region produced sustainability reports. That percentage is now up to 71%.