Proverbial Talk

The Seven Key Elements of a Corporate Climate Change Strategy

By Paul Giesberg

Article published by MRI Overseas Property

The greatest environmental challenge of our time is without a doubt climate change. Over the coming years and decades this will have a stark influence on our lives. Not only through the physical changes in the climate, but also through changes in our energy consumption, travel patterns and many other aspects of our life. Companies will not be unaffected by these changes. Markets will change, as will client requirements and there will be a steep rise in legislation with regards to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. Developing a comprehensive corporate climate change strategy is therefore an essential part of good business management. This article gives a brief description of the elements that such a strategy should include.

The management of climate change should adopt two distinct strategies: mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation deals with the reduction in greenhouse gases to the earth’s atmosphere. Carbon foot-printing and carbon accounting form typical measures that are used within the framework of this strategy. Adaptation revolves around measures that address the changes and vulnerabilities of the organisation that will be present as a result of the inevitable physical change in our climate. A good corporate climate change strategy addresses both mitigation and adaptation.

1. Understanding greenhouse gas emissions of the organisation

An understanding of the organisation’s greenhouse gas emissions is fundamental in every credible corporate climate change strategy. To achieve this a comprehensive greenhouse gas inventory should be made. The inventory is a first step to manage and reduce the emissions, which are also key elements of a the strategy. The inventory combined with the management and reduction form the core of a greenhouse gas accounting system. At this moment there are two internationally recognised systems for greenhouse gas accounting available. These are the ISO 14064 standard and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.

2. Understanding climate change vulnerability

Most large organisations have started to make a greenhouse gas inventory and have adopted measures to reduce their carbon footprint. As I described in the introduction, adaptation also forms an important part of a comprehensive corporate climate change strategy. To develop an understanding of an organisation’s vulnerability to changes in the climate a review of the operations, products and services, transport needs should be made as well as an understanding of the physical changes to the climate in which the organisation operates. There are no clear guidelines on how to develop an understanding of the vulnerability to changes in the climate, although the United Nations Panel on Climate Change has published a range of reports documenting the predicted changes to the climate in each of the global regions over the course of the current century. In addition to these global publications, many governments have funded research predicting the potential change in climate at a national level.

3. Commit to reduction in greenhouse gas emissions

As part of credible strategy, a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions should be made at the most senior level in the organisation.

4. Develop internal corporate capacity

Development of internal capacity is an essential element to drive through improvements to both the greenhouse gas emissions and the climate change vulnerability. It is the people within the organisation that are best placed to identify practical solutions that will support any improvement programme. Ensuring an adequate level of knowledge and understanding within the members of staff with regards to the climate change issues that are facing the organisation is therefore a key element in the strategy.

5. Work with supply chain and engage with stakeholders

A significant contribution to the carbon footprint of a product that an organisation produces is made during the processing by suppliers. In addition an organisation should be aware of the climate change vulnerability of its own supply chain. The strategy should therefore address the role of the supply chain in managing climate change issues.

6. Adopt and implement improvement action plan

The first five elements provide a thorough understanding of the issues facing an organisation as a result of changes to our climate. Based on this understanding an improvement plan should be drawn up. As with any credible action plan the actions should consist of SMART targets, be fully funded, and be relevant to the organisations climate change threats and opportunities.

7. Publish an annual report

The final element is the publication of an annual report that demonstrate progress against the action plan, re-affirms the commitment to improvement and accounts for the carbon emissions.

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Global Climate Change - Facts

By Ronnie Daniels

Article posted by MRI Overseas Property

Instead of joining ranks with the parties engaged in the current cold war over climate change I would like to do something refreshing and new. This article is going to present you with a series of indisputable facts on the global climate and then ask you to decide for yourself what your opinion on the matter is.

Here I sit at my desk on a typical summer day in Tennessee. It gets in the 90F temperature range during the first part of the day and then there are thundershowers in the afternoon. It could be any summer day picked at random from the 50 odd summers of my life.

The first true fact: in over 100 years the temperature has not increased even 1degree.

2 opposing forces

One group of people with a liberal bent would have us believe that the planet is at the edge of ecological disaster due to the increase in CO2 caused by human activities, of which one is simply breathing. Led by one of my states native sons and the United Nations these forces attempt to use science (sometimes used very badly) and fear to promote their agenda of globalism and socialist ideals.

The other group, firmly entrenched in the warm and coy bed of conservatism and the corporate energy lobby struggle to use their influence to make us think that global climate change is a myth. They seek to preserve our constitutional methods of governing and let the free market deal with our energy problems. The nation would be better served if the opposing sides would address our energy and climate problems sans politics.

Fact: The climate is changing. It has been changing for millions of years and will continue to change.

Fact: Human activity does affect the climate to an extent. Cities change the weather in their immediate area simply by existing.

Fact: The Earth captures CO2 and stores it in plant life and in the sediments of the sea bottom. There is a correlation between the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and the amount of O2 ( oxygen) in the atmosphere. In times past the planet had higher temperatures and higher levels of O2 and CO2. These levels came down during the ice ages. The planet is in the final stages of the last ice age and has been for over 12,000 years.

Fact: The Earth is a self regulating organism with extremely complex interactions of millions of processes and variables. Each one in interdependent with every other in a system so complex that we don’t have the technology to completely understand it. Even with cray super computers and climate modeling it is still a lot of guesswork because the system changes faster than it can be modeled.

The atmosphere begins on the sun and reaches all the way to the core of the planet. The complex interaction between the atmosphere, the cycles of water in the lakes,seas and rivers and the life processes ( respiration) of every living thing on the planet work together to produce the weather conditions prevalent today and for the foreseeable future.

Fact: There is no real consensus among scientists on this issue. One group of climate scientists who by use of computer modeling, have concluded that global warming is a fact and is caused by an increase in man made CO2 emissions. These same scientists have also stated that their computers are not capable of handling the sheer number of calculations needed for proof of their assertion.

Many other scientists in a number of disciplines including geology, earth science and meteorology hold different opinions. Some even argue that the Earth is cooling.

Fact: The problem is complex with many variables to consider and there has been a lot of misrepresentation of the facts in the press by both politicians and reporters.

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