It seems that the recent Forbes article, Top Businesses Demand Climate Action, is a sign of things to come. Yet, there is more going on here than initially apparent. Yes, businesses are beginning to wake up to the harsh realities (and growth opportunities) presented by climate change. And yes, the largest corporations are potentially beginning to develop the minute wisps of something resembling a “conscience“. Both these developments are to be applauded and encouraged. Yet if we look deeper, other themes emerge.

Another article, from the legal world, displays what could be truly motivating these giants. Lexis Nexus recently launched a new Environmental Law & Climate Change Center. From their press release:

“With the prospect of increasing state, local and federal regulations, the new center offers legal professionals news, information, expert analysis, podcasts and blogs centering on the most relevant case law, state legislative activity, regulatory changes, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiatives and other key developments driven by climate change concerns.”

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I wrote about the United Nation’s Human Development Report last week. This post is a reminder that the current report will be released tomorrow in Brazil.

If you happen to be in San Francisco on November 27, you can attend an event at the Commonwealth Club to hear Ad Melkert, Undersecretary of the United Nations, talk about the report. This event will be moderated by Larry Brilliant who is the Executive Director of Google.org. The event is free, but you need to act fast to RSVP for the event.

Anyone serious about fighting climate change needs to read this report when it is available tomorrow.

Disclosure: I am a dues-paying member of the Commonwealth Club, which is a non-profit organization. 

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nation’s “global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life.” Each year, the UNDP conducts a detailed report on the state of human development in the world. The 2007/2008 Human Development report will be released to the public on November 27, 2007 in Brazil.

What makes this report so significant is that it is a major piece of work on climate change. The report “shows that climate change is not just a future scenario. Increased exposure to droughts, floods and storms is already destroying opportunity and reinforcing inequality. Meanwhile, there is now overwhelming scientific evidence that the world is moving towards the point at which irreversible ecological catastrophe becomes unavoidable. Business-as-usual climate change points in a clear direction: unprecedented reversal in human development in our lifetime, and acute risks for our children and their grandchildren.”

In addition, this report demonstrates that the world’s poorest will be the ones who will be most affected by the problems caused by climate change even though they contributed the least to the climate change. This report will provide governments, agencies, organizations, and individuals with all the information they need to take action against climate change now.

If you happen to be in San Francisco on November 27, you can attend an event at the Commonwealth Club to hear Ad Melkert, Undersecretary of the United Nations, talk about the report. This event will be moderated by Larry Brilliant who is the Executive Director of Google.org. The event is free, but you need to act fast to RSVP for the event.

Anyone serious about fighting climate change needs to read this report when it is available on November 27.

A company called Covanta is generating electricity and disposing of people’s waste in an environmentally friendly way. I think this is a great example of a company that is tackling two problems and solving each of them well. Covanta takes trash from communities and burns the trash in incinerators which create steam that turns turbines that generate electricity. The electricity created is renewable and the garbage after it is burned is more easily disposed.

You might think that air pollution is created when the garbage is burned, but that is not the case. Covanta manages all of its emissions and ensures that their environmental output is minimal. Their emissions are so clean that they even have a plant in Honolulu, Hawaii where people really care about protecting the environment. If you are interested in finding out more about Covanta, you can watch a CNNMoney video about it.

Covanta is a publicly traded company and they have a solid valuation. They are listed on the NYSE under the ticker CVA.

We are all excited about ethanol, fuel cell, solar and wind technology, but here is an example of a technology that is making an impact today. This brings new meaning to the phrase, “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure”!

Disclosure: At the time of the writing of this post, I have no financial relationships with any of the organizations mentioned.
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About the Author

Jonathan Chang is interested in new technologies which help individuals and organizations make a positive impact on society and the environment. He is also a proponent of long term thinking, supports the creation of renewable resources, and is an ardent advocate of social entrepreneurship. He is involved with and a member of Net Impact and the Commonwealth Club. (Net Impact is an international nonprofit organization whose mission is to make a positive impact on society by growing and strengthening a community of new leaders who use business to improve the world. The Commonwealth Club is the nation’s oldest and largest public affairs forum which organizes events on topics ranging across politics, culture, society and the economy.) Jon received his MBA from Babson College and his BA from Columbia University.

The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the “Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Albert Arnold (Al) Gore Jr. for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change.”

This is great news for everyone who has worked so hard for the past several years to build greater awareness for climate change such as scientists, professors, government officials, and organization climate change leaders. I feel that they need to be recognized as well. Please mention anyone you feel should be noted in the comments area below.

You can read more about this year’s Nobel Peace Prize award on the New York Times.

Disclosure: At the time of the writing of this post, I have no financial relationships with any of the organizations mentioned.
__________________________________
About the Author

Jonathan Chang received his MBA from Babson College and his BA from Columbia University. Jon is interested in new technologies which help individuals and organizations make a positive impact on society and the environment. He is also a proponent of long term thinking, supports the creation of renewable resources, and is an ardent advocate of social entrepreneurship. He is involved with and a member of Net Impact and the Commonwealth Club. (Net Impact is an international nonprofit organization whose mission is to make a positive impact on society by growing and strengthening a community of new leaders who use business to improve the world. The Commonwealth Club is the nation’s oldest and largest public affairs forum which organizes events on topics ranging across politics, culture, society and the economy.)