Top Stories
New climate change report rates political
and regulatory environments as top concerns by corporate risk managers.—reliability
high.
According to a recently released survey, "Thirty percent of risk
managers surveyed said climate change regulation was one of the top
five risks facing their company." "The survey, analyzed and reported by
the Boston-based investor and environmental sustainability network
Ceres and administered jointly with the Professional Risk Managers
International Association (PRMIA), sheds light on how 200 risk managers
view climate change and its potential impact on their industries." See Ceres site. PDF of
report here. [Sounds like
corporate risk managers are just starting to think about climate change
issues.]
Making the Cities of India More Sustainable.—reliability
medium.
"India will add an additional 26 cities of one million or more by 2030
to its 42 one million+ cities today. The population in cities of 340
million in 2008 will soar to 590 million by 2030. The need for much
improved urban housing and health services, let alone better planning,
governance and carbon management, threatens the nation's and thus the
world's economic stability: India's population by 2030 is forecast to
overtake China's. A report released this month by the McKinsey Global
Institute, "India's Urban Awakening," provides a rich and thorough
analysis of the challenges faced by Indian cities, while also providing
a clear agenda for future improvements." See Worldchanging
post. Access report here.
CFL bulb scheme will be world's biggest
carbon credit project.—reliability high.
Latest on Bachat Lamp Yojna. "India has bagged the world's largest
carbon credit project that will help replace 400 million incandescent
light bulbs with energy saving CFL bulbs at dirt-cheap prices in a year
while preventing 40 million tonnes of carbon from entering the
atmosphere annually. The project, which will allow the government,
investors, discoms and CFL manufacturers to sell CFLs at Rs 15 each,
instead of the Rs 100 they currently cost on average, has been approved
by the UN under the global carbon credit scheme called Clean
Development Mechanism." See Times
of India.
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Carting Away the Oceans: April 2010.—reliability
high.
"This report from Greenpeace ranks and rates 20 supermarket chains on
their sustainability practices for purchasing seafood and communicating
about sustainable seafood to shoppers." See GreenBiz.
PDF of report here.
Sam's Club Installs On-Site Wind Power.—reliability
high.
"Sam's Club claims to be the first U.S. retailer to install 'a
significant number' of on-site micro wind turbines. The retailer
installed 17 wind turbines mounted on parking lot light poles at its
Palmdale, California location that will supply about three to five
percent of the store's total energy use." Story in Environmental
Leader. [Parking
lot turbines are much more visible to customers than rooftop solar
panels, thus providing double benefit. Will they make store look stupid
if there are days when they are not turning?]
Ten Ways to Make Your Business Bike-Friendly.—reliability
medium.
Post lists benefits to business from being more bike-friendly, and
gives several specific suggestions. "Bicycle-friendly practices and
policies can be cheap, while still leading to big results." From GreenBiz
blog.
Government and
Regulation
New EPA Website Simplifies Searches for
Clean Water Act Violations.—reliability high.
"The EPA’s new portal for viewing Clean Water Act violations from its
Annual Non-Compliance Report (ANCR) will make it more important than
ever for businesses to steer clear of serious infractions. ... The
website provides a map of the country, allowing users to view
violations by state and company." See Environmental
Leader. Access EPA
site. [You
can run (your effluent into the river) but you can’t hide. EPA is
leveraging information technology to pressure violators and potential
violators. Maybe the Mine Safety and Health Administration could take a
lesson from this approach.]
Preparing for an Ice-Free Arctic: Part 1 -
China's Growing Interest in the Thawing North.—reliability
medium.
"China is paying increasing attention to the melting of the ice in the
Arctic Ocean as a result of climate change. The prospect of the Arctic
being navigable during summer months, leading to both shorter shipping
routes and access to untapped energy resources, has impelled the
government to allocate more resources to Arctic research. Chinese
officials have also started to think about what kind of policies would
help the country to benefit from an ice-free Arctic environment. ... To
date, China has adopted a wait-and-see approach to Arctic developments,
wary that active overtures would cause alarm in other countries due to
its size and status as a rising global power." See chinadialogue.
[Should be
interesting to those who have competitors or suppliers in China.]
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]
