Climate Change - Involving Big Players?

In many conferences, speakers discuss how organisations and citizens should lobby their government to form a coherent climate change strategy in decreasing the rate of carbon emissions. However very often, the discussion of how big businesses and corporations can play a role in climate change is missed or ignored. This event, hosted by the 21^st Century Network, had rallied industry experts in examining how businesses are participating in this global issue.

The founder of Cientifica Ltd, Tim Harper, said that environmental issues and politics should be separated if we want big corporations to be involved in climate change negotiations. As the world’s leading source of global business intelligence on nanotechnologies, Tim is familiar with the technical and scientific concepts of climate change. While the use of technology has increased carbon emissions, technology has also provided society with medicine, diagnostics, and an economic advantage. From a technological point of view, climate change alternatives should be commercially attractive, helping businesses to keep cost down while reducing emissions at the same time. The unknown factor is a risk for any corporation.

Mary Rhead-Corr, Executive Director of the United Bank of Carbon discussed her project that enables businesses to fund rainforest sustainability on a global basis. Stopping deforestation is one of the biggest investments to reducing climate change. If the temperature goes up by even 2 degrees, 20-30% of forests will be lost. Mary suggested that businesses and NGOs together should look into ways in fighting deforestation, creating strategic objectives in protecting trees and re-planting on a large scale.

Graham Hillier from Centre for Process Innovation (CIP) spoke from an engineer point of view, thus looking at materials and considering how to use it efficiently. Human activity is at the heart of climate change; we consume more when we are richer, producing 180% of waste compared to the poor. Therefore we must be tackling the environmental factor with the social factor. To adapt sustainable principles, policy makers and engineers must understand what is ‘possible’ for the UK as opposed to setting unachievable targets.

Two case studies were showcased. Intelligent Energy, led by Vice President Dennis Haytar focused on the use of clean power, and how technology enables users to achieve zero emission applications. Per Regnarsson, Clean World Capital, focused on renewable energy and clean technology in offices in Copenhagen and London. They work with Wind Energy, Solar Energy, Waste2Energy, Water Filtration, Clean Cars, Green housing and efficiency.