‘How does your carbon performance compare?’ This is the question which welcomes the reader of the 350 Index Results Report 2010, a publication that introduces the new FTSE CDP Carbon Strategy Index Series.
The FTSE Group (FTSE) announced last week, jointly with the Carbon Disclosure Project and ENDS Carbon, the launch of two UK indices; the FTSE CDP Carbon Strategy All-Share Index and the FTSE CDP Carbon Strategy 350 Index. Both indices have been designed in response to growing awareness of the significant potential impact of climate change on investment returns.
The FTSE CDP Carbon Strategy 350 Index assesses how Britain’s largest companies are dealing with climate change. It compares them on cutting carbon emissions, making their products more energy-efficient and setting the most ambitious reduction targets. On the top of this new index there is Unilever, with a final Carbon Scorecard result of 2.49, followed by BT Group (2.44), Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets (2.43), Rolls-Royce Group (2.40) and Centrica (2.38).
The index describes Unilever’s track record on cutting emissions as "superb". The company aims to have cut its emissions by 25% by 2012. The multinational has also improved its carbon intensity by 20% –amount of carbon emissions per pound sterling of turnover– over the last three years, and by 40% since 1995.
Canada has been frequently criticized by green groups for not doing enough to protect the environment and for allowing emissions of greenhouse gases to rise steadily over the last two decades. Probably they are right to be upset. According to US Department of Energy’s Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC), Canada was in 2006 the 10th highest per capita emitter of greenhouse gases in the world (16,7 metric tons), and the 8th highest in total emissions (545 million metric tons).
But green groups might have a reason to be partially happier. The good news is that Environment Minister Jim Prentice said last Wednesday (23th of June) that Canada will phase out older coal-fired power plants to cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. The not so good news is that the country will move to make natural-gas fired plants the new clean-power standard.
Canada will require electricity producers newer facilities to match the lower greenhouse gas emissions of more efficient natural-gas fired plants by establishing new standards which are expected to be firmed up by early 2011. The measure is expected to reduce emissions by 15 million metric tons, the equivalent of taking 3.2 million vehicles off the road.
Nowadays, 19 percent of the country’s electricity, and 13 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions, is being produced by 51 coal-fired units. However, 33 of those plants will reach the end of their economic lives by 2025. Unless the operators make substantial investments to cut emissions from the aging facilities, they’ll be required to shut down.
Along with the proposed regulations, Prentice also announced the government would contribute C$400 million (US$384 million) for its share of a fund set up under the Copenhagen accord to help impoverished countries cope with climate change.
Last Friday finished the thirty-second sessions of the UNFCCC Convention subsidiary bodies, which took place from Monday 31 May to Wednesday 9 June 2010 in Bonn, Germany. The gathering was attended by more than 5,500 participants, including government delegates from 185 governments, along with representatives from business and industry, environmental organizations and research institutions.
As usual, different visions regarding the outcomes appeared. Developing nations in the Group of 77 and China said that many key points proposed by them were eliminated or ignored and the text “puts emphasis on greenhouse gas curbs by the poor, not the rich”. Among rich nations, the United States said that some elements of the text were "unacceptable” but it would have to study it, and the European Union also expressed "concerns" about the text.
Today, June 11th would be Jacques Cousteau’s 100th birthday. An undiscussed conservationist he was the voice of the ocean and brought to the world via “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau”, his television show in the 60s and 70s, images and scenes from a world unknown to us. Nowadays he is remembered as an icon underwater explorer, but there is much more to Cousteau than that, he also focused on broader concerns for the planet, its inhabitants and their quality of life.
One of the major concerns that Cousteau had was the state in which the planet is going to reach future generations, what kind of living conditions we are leaving for our grandchildren, not only to live in, but to have to fix later. Issues such as deteriorating oceans, fresh water supply and climate change where no strangers to him. John Englander (who now consults and advises about climate change and ocean impacts), former CEO of The Cousteau Society, had many opportunities to share Cousteau’s knowledge. In conversations they had, the diver shared his vision on the challenge of changing public awareness and policy in order to really make a change and obtain positive results regarding environmental concerns.
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Every year on June 5th since 1972 we celebrate the World Environment Day (WED). This year it is to be hosted in Kigali, Rwanda, and aims to be the biggest, most widely celebrated, global day for positive environmental action.
The UN hopes that through this special occasion they will be able to stimulate worldwide awareness about environmental concerns, that will hopefully lead to political attention and action.
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It makes a big difference when big and respected companies such as Coca-Cola make a commitment to conserve energy and fight climate changes. People that might have been skeptic about eco-friendly lifestyles can not ignore the fact that if a major company such as this one has decided to go green, it has to mean something. They might even notice that it’s not all about giving up things, it can also be simple, and maybe even enjoyable!
The first big change that Coca-Cola underwent was switching to hybrid delivery trucks in North America, this move tackles the source of one of the largest environmental impacts the company makes. They already have 327 green trucks on the road, and they say many more are yet to join the fleet. These hybrids save about 30% on fuel consumption and produce 30% less emissions than the regular trucks, so, Coca-Cola is not only reducing their environmental impact, they are also saving on fuel which might have a positive impact on their economy, and also conserves oil resources.
The company started it’s first green movement in Japan in 2004, where it started a waste recycling program. It consisted in turning their own waste material into energy, this helped cut some of the waste that Coca-Cola puts into landfills. The green revolution eventually reached North America, where changes are now in motion. Here they are not only recycling their own waste, they are also developing recycling programs for communities and businesses. They have also installed water saving technology and energy efficient lighting to make the buildings more environmentally friendly.
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While it is difficult to imagine any positive outcome from the recent BP oil catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, we may be able to find a glimmer of hope buried in the oily mess. People may just start to realize that they too need to do their part of help prevent such disasters and combat climate change. The extent of the devastation will no doubt be grave, but we could take this as an opportunity to engage and inform people who otherwise may not have had much interest in environmental issues.
One example of the BP events encouraging a new outlook is in the reaction by many Florida politicians who before were ardent supporters of off-shore drilling. Now, they are reversing their positions and speaking about the importance of protecting their white sand beaches. Members of the Florida Congress are now asking that President Obama withdraw a plan to build an enormous tract of exploratory drilling 125 miles off the coast of the state. Proposals for drilling just 3-10 miles from the Florida shore are also stalled with previous proponents saying that more needs to be known about the causes of the BP spill before moving forward.
The event is called “Meeting of the minds: The innovations we need for more sustainable cities”. It is organized by the Joslyn Institute for Sustainable Communities (JISC), _which was born in the University of Nebraska, College of Architecture_, and by the Urban Age Institute. The event will be held in Nebraska, and will last two and a half days, from June 16 to June 18.
The importance of urban areas and cities cannot be undermined, given the fact that half of the world’s population lives in such places. Cities account for more than 70% of global CO2 emissions, and consume more than half of the world’s energy.
During the Meeting of the minds, representatives from governments, the private sector, environmental organizations, and different experts will be addressing a vast combination of topics related to making cities more sustainable.
To see the program, click here
A study carried out between December 2009 and January shows that most people care about the environment. The problem is few of them do something about it. The study was conducted by the Yale Project on Climate Change and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication. 
The colors stand for:
BLUE: Believe the action is important & currently engage in it.
RED: Believe the action is important, but do not currently engage in it.
LIGHT GREY: Believe the action is unimportant, but currently engage in it.
GREY: Believe the action is unimportant & do not currently engage in it.
Entitled Americans’ Actions to Conserve Energy, Reduce Waste, and Limit Global Warming, it reminds us that having the right thoughts and values is not enough. These need to lead us to act in environmentally friendlier ways. Otherwise, we are being hypocritical.
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