Carbon dioxide is a pollutant. Million of humans are at risk from our civilization’s continuing greenhouse gas emissions. So is the world’s economy. So the world’s top businesses are READY for a little SHORT TERM PAIN in exchange for some LONG TERM GAIN and they want government to act, Now.
That’s the message being sent, as loud and clear as possible, by 150 global companies in a two page advertisement placed in the Financial Times today.
From now on, the world is going to be united on a war footing against carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas pollution. It’s OK to be on the right side of this issue. It’s OK to take this seriously. It’s OK take aggressive, creative, inspiring action.
The unprecedented alliance - which also includes some of the world’s largest corporations such as Shell, Coca Cola, Nike and Sony Ericsson - argues legally binding targets would give companies the certainty they need to pour money into addressing climate change issues and developing low carbon technologies.
And in a dramatic turnaround for some corporations, they want politicians to be guided by scientists when setting new greenhouse gas emission reduction targets to come into force after the Kyoto protocol expires in 2012 (from Australia’s ’s TheAge)
If I have grandchildren one day, I could not bear it if they asked me: “Why did you not do something when it was possible to make a difference?” These business leaders have asked themselves that same question and have had the wisdom to recognise that we are doing this for those who come after us. Let us all join them by “stiffening the sinews and summoning up the blood” to overcome this unprecedented challenge.
The writer is heir to the British throne (from the lead editorial in today’s Financial Times)
Congrats to the team, students, administrators and sustainability folks at the University of Florida who worked with the Florida Forestry Association and Environmental Defense to organize what is being billed as the “first carbon neutral college football game“.
To counter the expected emissions of the game, Environmental Defense is purchasing carbon offsets in an amount equal to the GHG generated by the game and its related activities. Subject to technical review, offsets will come from reforestation (tree planting) and improved management of forestlands in nearby Dixie County. The land is owned by long time UF supporters Jim and Winston Bailey and managed by Natural Resource Planning Services, Inc. (If needed, offsets from other sources will also be acquired; all offsets acquired by Environmental Defense will be permanently retired and never resold.)
Florida Governor Charlie Crist was in attendance and used the opportunity to promote the leadership of the school and his own Climate Change Initiatives.
“Florida is leading the way in addressing global climate change. I applaud the University of Florida for being a leader within the NCAA for addressing green-house gas emissions. Florida has one of the greatest rivalries in college football. To experience this setting in a carbon-neutral way sets a great example for the rest of the nation…As we enjoy the beauty and blessings of Florida, we must continue to be aware of the impact our activities have on our natural environment. I am proud of the proactive steps the university and its partners are taking to host this game in a way that offsets this impact.”
Press release from Governor Crist’s Office
Case Study (.pdf) from the University of Florida Sustainability Office
Perhaps a day of reckoning is dawning for the carbon offset industry. No wonder:
“It’s like the Wild West out there,” comments Anja Kollmuss, a member of the Climate Initiative team at Tufts University, which has studied the difference between the regulated and unregulated carbon markets.(Story from TheNation)
Jeff Reamer, assistant vice president for renewable energy at GE Energy Financial Services: “…Just about anyone can hang out a shingle and say I’m selling a ton of carbon.”
Derek Broekhoff, a senior associate at the World Resources Institute: “The vast majority of providers have a long way to go before they are up to speed and maintaining consistent levels of quality.”
(Story from GreenBiz)
“The police, the fraud squad and trading standards need to be looking at this,” Francis Sullivan, an environment adviser to (HSBC). (from UK Guardian)
And just last week Business Week says “Caveat Emptor”
In response:
- US Federal Trade Commission to begin hearings on “green advertising” and carbon offset and carbon credits, especially, in January of 08 according to the Washington Post.
- The Climate Trust, California Climate Action Registry, Environmental Resources Trust, Greenhouse Gas Experts Network, Pew Center on Global Climate Change and The Climate Group have created the Offset Quality Initiative.(Story form ClimateBiz)
- A new global carbon offset standard has been launched today at the London Stock Exchange boosting business, consumer and government confidence in the voluntary carbon market. The Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) provides a new and much needed quality assurance for certification of credible voluntary offsets.(Story from The World Business Council on Sustainable Development)
Carbon offsets, in addition to being unregulated, are complicated, with terms like “additionalility” and “RECs” and “forward purchasing/forward crediting” tough for folks to get when “most consumers can’t tell the difference between energy conservation and energy efficiency” according to a recent survey from EcoAlign (Props to Joel Makower at GreenBuzz).
We all have a lot of work to do.
The London Olympic Delivery Authority today released its latest sustainability plan — Towards A One Planet 2012— anchored by an extensive carbon footing study “to measure the climate change impact of the Games and therefore identify and prioritise (sic) areas for reducing emissions“…right down to measuring the emissions caused by the buzzer sounding when a single hit is made in a fencing match.
London 2012 aims to be the first major global sporting event to measure its entire carbon footprint, including the emissions caused by the construction of the Olympic Park and those from the flights carrying competitors, media and fans alike.
Curiously, not a whole lot of evidence to suggest a comprehensive media management campaign to assure that fans of the Games get the good news.
For details, visit london2012
England’s FA Cup, building on the success of Ipswich Town’s efforts to induce 14,000 fan pledges to reduce carbon, hopes to offset the estimate 45,000 tonnes produced by the annual tournament.
Emissions will be calculated from the operational emissions of all participating clubs, the television emissions from viewers watching matches at home, and the travel emissions produced by home and away fans.
The project is being developed by E.ON, “one of the UK’s leading energy suppliers and Sponsor of The FA Cup“. The story from the BBC looks at firms in Europe and the UK that are driving “the green sports agenda“.
Yeah baby. Smashing!
(A repost from the STAR • SPORTS archives, originally posted September 8, 2007)
84% of surveyed undergraduate students believe that corporations should work toward the betterment of society, while only 19% think most corporations are currently pursuing this goal. 70% believe “corporate social responsibility” should be integrated into required business and management program curricula. More than 50% want to learn more about corporate social responsibility, environmental sustainability, social entrepreneurship, renewable energy and international development.
“These are topics that have been of interest for the 15 years that Net Impact has worked with business schools, yet the students do not feel these topics are represented adequately in undergraduate curricula,” added (Liz) Maw (Executive Director of Net Impact, an international nonprofit (NGO) with over 10,000 network members dedicated to leveraging business for socially responsible action).”In fact, 74% of the respondents stated that universities and colleges should place more emphasis on training socially and environmentally responsible individuals than they currently do.”
“This demonstrates that undergraduates have high expectations for social responsibility to be included in their education, and expect these principles to remain a priority as they become the next generation of business leaders,” said Kellie McElhaney, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Center for Responsible Business at the University of California Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. (emphasis added)
So how is it that students born in 1989 or before are now echoing the concerns of 1987’s “Our Common Future” or 1991’s Talloires Declaration or Wes Jackson, who suggested that American higher education was little more than “education for upward mobility“; or Wendell Barry, who said higher education was turning out “a powerful class of professional vandals…now pillaging the country and laying it waste“; or David Orr who asked in 1991 “Are the graduates of this or that college suited for a responsible life on a planet with a biosphere?”
However it is happening, it’s happening.
In 2006 pre-season and regular season games, NFL teams traveled 570,630 miles mostly by air. The Oakland Raiders logged the most (30,702), the Carolina Panthers the least (8,966). The league average is 17,832.
Source: Pro Football Hall of Fame Educational Programs “Mathematics How Far Do Teams Travel” (.pdf)
Revealing story in today’s New York Times explores how local officials far beyond Beijing’s shadow of influence are evading Central Committee directives to reduce energy consumption. Part V of the series Choking on Growth on China’s epic pollution crisis.
“Please compost or recycle everything purchased here! Whaddya expect at a football stadium in Davis?“
So reads the sign above an Aggie Stadium concession stand. The stadium’s “R4” policy (for recycle, reuse, reduce, rebuy) is the leading edge of the university’s commitment to be “zero waste” by 2020…or sooner. Composting is a major part of the plan, with leftover food, PLA (corn-based plastic) drinking cups and various wrappers all heading to an industrial composting site in nearby Vacaville to be turned into soil.
The numbers from a September home football game: 400 pounds of trash, 700 pounds of compostable items and 335 pounds of bottles and cans, or 72% of waste diverted from the landfill.
Watch at YouTube
Read at the Sacramento Bee
“This is another way for the Nets to beat the Knicks this year.”
The New Jersey Nets have announced six “green” nights to publicize their environmental efforts and show fans what they can do, exploring themes such as energy efficiency, waste reduction and water use.
“Every day you read in the paper about global warming and environmental problems,” said Nets spokesman Barry Baum. “We just felt that we had a responsibility as a franchise to take action as soon as possible.”
Story from NorthJersey.com