| |
In This Issue
Editor's Note
Marc Gunther on Climate Change
According to Marc Gunther, journalist and author of the new ebook Suck It Up, carbon capture and storage has the potential to help solve climate change and create an enormous market opportunity—worth the equivalent of 100 billion barrels or US$10 trillion of oil.
This week, he spoke to us about that opportunity, what he perceives as the major technological, political, and cultural barriers to climate change, and why he believes the most important thing business can do now is raise awareness about the urgency of climate change.
We also look at a new report on “responsible” approaches to hydrofracturing to obtain natural gas, and we talk about the theory behind Microsoft’s new global human rights statement.
 |
In Depth
Can Carbon Capture Solve Climate Change?
By Melanie Janin, Managing Director, Communications, BSR
The GreenBiz senior writer and Fortune magazine contributing editor discusses climate change—the market opportunities for carbon capture, the barriers to progress, and what he'd like to see business do to help solve this global challenge.
Read more →
|
Toolbox
Is ‘Responsible’ Fracking Possible?
By Ryan Schuchard, Manager, Climate and Energy, BSR
There's little in the current energy debate that isn't a hot button, and "unconventional" natural gas is especially controversial. A report released by the International Energy Agency outlines the challenges and opportunities of natural gas—such as that obtained by hydrofracturing, or "fracking"—and proposes "golden rules" for the industry and regulators to ensure environmental protection and community engagement, while making profitable extraction possible:
-
Measure, disclose, and engage.
-
Watch where you drill.
-
Isolate wells and prevent leaks.
-
Treat water responsibly.
-
Eliminate venting and minimize flaring and other emissions.
-
Be ready to think big (incorporate community needs and regional environmental considerations).
-
Ensure a consistently high level of environmental performance.
The world is slowly transitioning to low-carbon alternatives, but fossil fuels will supply the majority of our energy needs for the foreseeable future. BSR's new Future of Fuels initiative provides companies with information on the sustainability impacts of their transportation fuel choices, including on climate change, human rights, and economic development.
On the Record
Should I Stay or Should I Go: Business and High-Risk Markets
By Dunstan Allison Hope, Managing Director, Advisory Services, BSR
"Business can most effectively respect human rights through our presence in, rather than absence from, countries that present significant human rights risks. … [T]he critical question facing business is 'how' to operate within repressive countries to enable people living there to benefit from ICT products the way people do in other, freer countries."
--Microsoft Global Human Rights Statement, April 2012
Two apparently unrelated developments are happening concurrently: Information and communications technology (ICT) is playing an increasingly significant role in today's world, while new Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights have crystallized business' responsibility to respect human rights.
This combination has inspired many ICT companies to review their approach to human rights. Microsoft's recent human rights statement notes that while a company may in some cases decide it is better to leave a country in response to difficult circumstances, Microsoft generally believes that engaging in these difficult environments often holds the greatest promise of promoting human rights in the medium and long term.
|
|
|
