Green initiatives are ubiquitous these days, implemented with zeal at companies like Dupont, IBM, Walmart, and Walt Disney. The programs being rolled out—lighting retrofits, zero-waste factories, and carpool incentives—save money and provide a green glow. Most large companies are working to reduce energy use and waste, and many have integrated sustainability into strategic planning. What's not to like?
Well, for starters, these actions don't meaningfully address the primary barrier to sustainability, climate change. According to the International Energy Agency, without action, global temperatures will likely increase 6 degrees C by 2100, "which would have devastating consequences for the planet." This means more super droughts, floods, storms, fires, crop failures, sea-level rise, and other major disruptions. "Sustainability" simply isn't possible in the face of such a problem, as Superstorm Sandy demonstrated.
So despite perceptions that "sustainable business" is up and running, the environment reminds us we're failing to deal with the problem at anywhere near sufficient scale. Because climate change requires a systemic solution, which only governments can provide, firms serious about addressing it have a critical role well beyond greening their own operations. They must spur government action. But few are.
"Green business" as currently practiced focuses on limited operational efficiencies—cutting carbon footprint and waste reduction—and declares victory. But these measures fail to even dent the climate problem. And the proof is easy: Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. Last month, we hit 400 parts per million atmospheric CO2 for the first time in 3 million years. Worse, though, such small-ball initiatives are a distraction: We fiddle around the edges thinking we're making a real difference (and getting accolades), while the planet inexorably warms.
The reality is that even if one company eliminates its carbon footprint entirely—as Microsoft admirably pledged to do—global warming roars on. That's because the problem is too vast for any single business: Solving climate change means we must switch to mostly carbon-free energy sources by 2050 or find a way to affordably capture carbon dioxide emissions, both monumental tasks.
“Green business as currently practiced focuses on limited operational efficiencies”
Even several very large companies cannot, on their own, get us there. In fact, historically, no big environmental problem, from air and water pollution to acid rain or ozone depletion, has ever been solved by businesses volunteering to do the right thing. We ought not presume that voluntary measures will solve this one.
But nobody seems to have noticed. Most green scorecards, corporate strategies, media, and shareholder analyses of businesses focus almost entirely on operational greening activities and policies, but not on whether companies can continue on their current course in a climate-changed world. In other words, such analyses don't actually measure sustainability.
So what does a meaningful corporate sustainability program look like in the era of climate change?
First, corporate leaders need to directly lobby state and national politicians to introduce sweeping, aggressive bipartisan climate legislation such as a carbon fee-and-dividend program. Strong policy in G8 nations is all the more important because it removes excuses for inaction by China, India, and other countries with rapidly growing carbon footprints.
Second, CEOs should insist that trade groups prioritize climate policy activism and withdraw from associations that refuse to do so, like when Pacific Gas & Electric, Apple, and Nike left the US Chamber of Commerce over its opposition to regulating greenhouse gas emissions.
Third, businesses should market their climate activism so that customers and suppliers appreciate their leadership, understand what matters, and follow suit. Such marketing is also education on one of the key issues of our time.
Fourth, companies should partner with effective non-governmental organizations such as the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies, the Natural Resources Defense Council, 350.org, Protect Our Winters, and Citizen's Climate Lobby to support their work, become educated on climate science and policy solutions, and understand effective lobbying.
Fifth, managers should demand that suppliers assess their climate impact and set public targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But companies that are multiplying their influence in supply chains, like Dell and Walmart, must not miss the larger and more important opportunity to change the rules of the game through activism.
Even in the United States, a climate laggard, some companies are already responding to climate change in the appropriate way.
Nike, for example, moved beyond operational greening by helping to create BICEP (Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy), which brings its members to Washington, D.C., to lobby for aggressive energy and climate legislation.
Starbucks has also taken out full-page ads in major newspapers to raise public awareness about the importance of climate action and has lobbied the US Congress and the Obama administration to explain the threat climate poses to coffee.
These companies are the exception. Unfortunately, even businesses that are sustainability leaders—like clothing manufacturer Patagonia, a business we admire—don't recognize the primacy of climate change. Instead, it includes climate in a basket of equally weighted issues, like protecting oceans, forests, or fisheries. But that's misguided: Climate vastly trumps (and often includes) those other environmental concerns.
Businesses that claim to be green but aren't loudly making their voices heard on the need for government action on climate change are missing the point. They are not just dodging the key challenge of sustainability; they are distracting us from what really matters.
We need to connect these two economic systems for us to prosper and leverage these strong forces. This can begin with a neo-economic concept called Symbiotic Demand; integrating the two most powerful biological forces on earth: self-interest and symbiosis. In hindsight, there really is not any other solution.
however, there is lots of money to be made from this scare. Those who are, rely on those without knoweledge to stay that way. I'm a man of faith but also recognize data and global warming IS slowly happening. However, don't buy into the myth that reducing man made C02 will have any real impact.
either, so many choose the safe middle ground. Brand and image are everything.
Real Climate @ http://www.realclimate.org/
Climate Progress @ http://thinkprogress.org/climate/issue/
New Math @ http://rol.st/LuRoru
Richard Muller @ http://on.wsj.com/1b6pwpW
Walter: your science is simply wrong, and if you are going to make assertions, please back them up with references to peer reviewed science. For example: There is an agency that measures CO2 output from volcanoes. It's called the U.S. Geological Survey. They report total global emissions of CO2 from humans are about 130 times that of volcanoes. Here's the reference http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hazards/gas/climate.php/ By the way, volcanoes tend to COOL the planet by emitting sulfur.
You are right that the planet has warmed and cooled before. The planet warms and cools in response to 'forcings' on the climate. What warmed and cooled earth in the past is very well understood, and has to do with orbital wobble called the Milankovich cycle. Today, also well understood, is that the new forcing--far stronger than Milankovitch, is CO2. Last, if you think there's lots of money to be made from the scare, show us. And compare that to the money to be made by NOT addressing climate change. It's frustrating that
on climate, it's always science vs. opinion. You ought to cite the science behind your assertions, or be open minded enough to reassess those assertions. Certainly DOW understands the science and has acted admirably on the threat.
Despite:
* the dubunking of most every chicken little claim;
* the near perfect track record of predictive failure by every model concocted by the IPCC and others;
* the undeniable history of buffoonery by climate 'pundits' sch as Henson and others;
some just seem compelled to clamp hands over eyes, ears, and grey matter and shreek "La la la la - I can't HEAR you!" while marching blindly forward, goose stepping all the way, toward the grand scheme of wealth redistribution that is 'climate change'.
The fact paid employees of HBS, under cover of the school's name, are tolerated within this pack of prevaricators is appalling.
Two recent studies, and one older one (By Naomi Oreskes) surveyed the scientific literature and found that of some 14,000 papers on climate, only 24 reject global warming. Citation here http://www.desmogblog.com/2012/11/15/why-climate-deniers-have-no-credibility-science-one-pie-chart
and here
http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/8/2/024024/article
So what, exactly, is the basis for your claims? Can you cite any science to back them up? You are right that models have been wrong--they have all underestimated the actual warming. Who here is holding their ears and saying "La La La?" Unless you have anything but your own opinion to back your statements, then it's you.
First, the scientists here on campus are quite convinced that the climate is changing, that this change is driven by human activity, and that there is a risk it may change significantly in ways that we cannot predict. As it happens I spent yesterday at MIT's annual Global Change Forum, listening to some of their leading scientists talk about the current science of climate change, and it was a very sobering day. You can learn more about the group and download many of their (excellent) papers here: http://cgcs.mit.edu/
Second, as Co-director of HBS's center for business and environment initiative I'm also very much aware that many of the world's largest companies - from Exxon to Du Pont to Unilever to Wal-Mart -- are now making multibillion dollar investments to prepare for a world where environmental issues in general and energy/climate issues in particular are central to the business agenda. We've written over 80 cases in the last three years about companies that are making investments in this area. You can get a sense for them here: http://www.hbs.edu/environment/cases-and-publications/Pages/default.aspx
Third, and perhaps most importantly, I think that one can sidestep much of emotional heat surrounding this controversy by thinking of the issue from a classically business inspired perspective and focusing on the risks involved. It seems clear that no-one can know exactly what's going to happen - the climate is a hugely complex system and there's a lot going on. But as business people we should be aware that the vast majority of the world's scientists who study the relevant science from a wide range of perspectives believe that continuing to emit large quantities of CO2 significantly increases the risk of a range of bad outcomes. They may be wrong. But it seems to me foolish to bet that they are certainly wrong. If over half of the doctors I consulted told me that my behavior was greatly increasing the risk of my incurring cancer, I like to think I would change my behavior. Many serious and thoughtful scientists tell us there is a real risk here and surely, as a business comm
unity we should respond. Mike and Auden have opened a very thoughtful conversation as to what we might do.
I have a question to add to your second comment. The large companies you have mentioned generally market to consumers. The relevancy here for projecting good environmental stewardship is obvious. Consumers (especially younger generations) prefer to buy products from companies that do good things, especially if they are extremely large companies with vast financial resources. With that said, my questions are regarding smaller companies. Many smaller companies sell B2B. Their customers care about many of the same things that consumers care about, but in a different hierarchy. Unfortunately, the environmental considerations are often not at the top. Smaller companies have less money for sustainability and environmental initiatives beyond low hanging fruit. Even if the majority of decision makers have good intentions, it is difficult to convince all necessary stakeholders to invest in such efforts.
So, how do you take these companies with limited resources of money, manpower and time, and convince them to shift their business model so that being an environmental steward is a priority?
s as usual". Collaboration is imperative. Only through collaboration can corporations effectively meet their sustainability goals; this includes pushing lawmakers to do their job and growing public demand for action.