27 April 2010

Legislation stalls, CSR salaries, footprint adds value? And other company, industry and government green news

Top Stories

Australia's carbon scheme delayed to 2012.reliability high.
"Australia has shelved plans for an ambitious carbon emissions trade scheme for at least three years due to parliamentary opposition and slow progress on a global climate pact, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on Tuesday." From Reuters.

Kerry, Lieberman Scramble to Avoid Climate Bill 'Fiasco'.reliability high.
Discusses "serious concerns among participants and observers who believe the effort veered backward when Graham, the target of criticism at home, stepped out of the spotlight. The fear is that other Republicans could point to his departure, following months in the legislative trenches, as a reason for voting against the measure. ... 'I don't know whether Senator Graham can be persuaded to continue to work on this,' Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change and a former assistant secretary of state, said of the climate effort yesterday. 'I really think that without him, the chances [of passing a bill] are much diminished. And they weren't terrific to begin with.'" Story in The New York Times.

Is India a global trash can?reliability high.
"Last year alone, nine containers of hazardous waste imported from Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Barcelona by three different companies in Tamil Nadu were caught at the port in a clear pointer to rural India becoming a waste bin for the developed world." Other instances. "But why are the developed nations dumping their garbage on Indian soil? Simply because shipping municipal waste to India is about four times cheaper than recycling it in their own land. While it costs Rs 12,000 to recycle a tonne of rubbish after segregation in Britain, shipping the rubbish to India costs just about Rs 2,800." From the Times of India.

Companies, Industries, Markets and Supply Chains

Are Private Equity Firms the Next Environmental Crusaders?reliability medium.
"Given the turbulent ride the financial services sector has endured over the past few years it seems counter-intuitive that anyone in the sector would be devoting special attention to environmental matters. That is, however, precisely what has happened. When we here at Capital C Partners first started working with Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) on its Green Returns program more than six months ago, we reached out to a cross-section of our contacts in the PE world to get a sanity check on just how receptive investment professionals might be to the concept that environmental measurement and management practices could deliver tangible bottom line value." See GreenBiz blog.

CR Directors Average $151K in Salary.reliability high.
"Corporate responsibility directors in North America average about $151,000 a year in salary, slightly less than what is paid to those in the same position in mainland Europe, according to the 2010 Corporate Responsibility Salary Survey from Acona, Acre, and Ethical Performance. ... The survey was based on responses from about 600 professionals." Story in Environmental Leader. Access report here.

Juggling the Electric Car Influx: A $1.5B Job.reliability high.
"Analyst John Gartner of Pike Research anticipates that a growing need for 'intelligent management' of electric vehicle charging will create a $297 million industry in the U.S. as of 2015. That forecast encompasses the market for tech ranging from applications, servers, networking equipment and other hardware, to ongoing services for collecting and monitoring data about vehicle charging. Globally, he expects revenue from EV management to climb to $1.5 billion in 2015, up from $383 million in 2010." See earth2tech. [This is just the impact in the IT sector. How much of it will Google get? Cisco?]

Restaurant puts carbon footprint on the menu.reliability high.
"A restaurant is claiming to be the first in the world to carbon footprint everything it serves. The first in a planned chain of vegetarian restaurants Otarian opened in New York this week with two more locations planned for London later in the year. Carbon reduction company Sustain measured the carbon footprints of each menu item for the company, which will appear alongside the footprint of a comparable meat dish. ... The calculations were performed according to PAS 2050 - the UK Government's widely accepted carbon footprint specification." From edie.net. [Lets diners choose according to footprint, and also might make them feel good by showing how much less carbon-intense their choices are compared to meat-based equivalents. Might there be some surprises--meat-based dishes with lower carbon footprints?]

Business Groups Say Climate Impasse Undermines Clean Energy.reliability high.
"The Capitol Hill politics bogging down a climate bill in the Senate are also hobbling investments in low-carbon energy and prompting calls from some business groups for action." More on reaction of business to climate bill's problems in Washington. See The Wall Street Journal.

Government and Regulation

India's lessons to learn on emission front.reliability medium.
"China is quietly reducing the emissions intensity of its economy even as it fights against any binding commitment to reduce emissions. In contrast, India continues to show a strong linkage between growth in GDP and per capita emissions. As Indian economy enters into double digit growth, it will spew out harmful substances at an equally fast pace. ... It is only a matter of time before developed countries step up pressure on developing countries to put obligatory checks on their emissions. Since China is already well on its way to putting its house in order, India runs the risk of facing isolation if it is caught napping." From the Economic Times.


[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]