Posts by Climate change
Adaptation matters: the private sector’s role adapting to climate change
At the 21st edition of the annual climate conference (COP 21) in early December, financing commitments by countries will be top on the agenda. Who is paying for what? How much will they pay? And by when will they do so? One major issue of debate in the face of limited resources is how much money should go towards avoiding and reducing GHG emissions – "mitigation" – versus how much should go towards supporting people, businesses and ecosystems to adapt to the effects of climate change.
Four reasons to pay attention to the private sector at COP21
The hopes are high for the UN Climate Change Negotiations in Paris at the end of this year. Nothing less than a universal, legally binding agreement to combat climate change is at stake.
Sustainable Development Goals: The way forward for the private sector
An interview with Global Compact's Jaime García Alba on the Sustainable Development Goals In the coming days, world leaders from 193 countries will descend upon Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the Financing for Development Conference organized by the United Nations (UN). The goal will be to define a framework to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) over the next 15 years. The private sector will play a key role, integrating business perspectives throughout the process.
What is the connection between No Impact Week and sustainable business?
I dare you: Can you buy nothing for a whole day? I know it sounds tough, but it happens on No Consumption Day. Employees who sign up for No Impact Week can experience how lowering our environmental footprint can impact quality of life, communities and planet. While No Impact Week is about discovering how lifestyle changes like consuming less can increase personal fulfillment, health, and happiness, it certainly begs the question: How is less consumption also good for sustainable business?
Water crises drive private sector innovation
Protecting areas that provide water through water funds highlights an innovative way to spur green growth driven by the private sector. With the on-going water shortages in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the region has a heightened awareness of the importance of securing water supply for big cities. Water supply links increasingly to deforestation and poor watershed management.
What is the Value of Nature?
An apple at a supermarket: $0.50. 1,000 gallons of tap water in New York City: $4.95. Annual value of pollination to agriculture: $200 billion. Cost savings from good land management in New York City's watershed: $8 billion. Total value of benefits from nature: priceless? Robert Costanza, a leading environmental economist, just published the article: "Changes in the Global Value of Ecosystem Services," where he estimated the total value of these benefits at $145 trillion per year. That’s about twice as much as the total output of the global economy. Some of the value that nature provides has an obvious cost. Other values don't directly affect your wallet and are less visible. But just because we don't pay for some of nature's benefits doesn't mean they have less value.