The shocking statistics behind world CO2 emissions

http://www.fly.co.uk/co2-emissions.html

U.S. Companies’ Continued Investments in Energy Efficiency Good For Business, Say Corporate Execs on Capitol Hill Panel

Green Initiatives Curb Carbon Emissions, Create Jobs, Help Sustain Planet

U.S. companies are continuing to invest in energy efficiency and to incorporate sustainable practices that will lower their future carbon emissions while creating jobs and helping their own bottom lines, corporate executives told a Capitol Hill gathering today. These measures are part of the companies’ overall efforts to help the nation regain its economic footing, according to executives and energy efficiency advocates addressing the topic, Corporate Sustainability, The Environment and Economic Recovery - Investing for the Future. The panel discussion was sponsored by the Alliance to Save Energy and the Committee for Economic Development (CED).

Panelists included Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.) of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus and an Alliance Board honorary vice-chair; Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition and also an Alliance honorary vice-chair; David Gardiner, senior advisor with the UN Foundation Energy Coalition; Charlene Lake, AT&T Chief Sustainability Officer; Curtis Etherly, vice president of public affairs for Coca-Cola Enterprises; Alliance President Kateri Callahan; and CED President Charles Kolb.

The panelists discussed the innovative approaches that leading companies are taking to incorporate eco-friendly policies that save energy, lower energy waste and create new jobs while contributing to economic and environmental sustainability for years to come.

“As we all work towards a sustainable, healthy economy, it is clear that cost-effective energy efficiency measures are the keys to both improving a company’s bottom line and reducing its carbon footprint,” said Callahan. “Today’s discussion leaves no doubt that lowering energy use and costs are winning strategies for business and for the planet. We commend the companies represented here for their efforts towards long-term sustainability.”

“CED is dedicated to promoting sustained economic growth and development to benefit all Americans,” said CED President, Charlie Kolb. “The companies here today have shown great leadership in their commitment to investing in green initiatives, and we will continue to see more jobs created as a result.”

“AT&T has long been committed to social progress, economic growth and environmental stewardship, with a long history of strengthening the communities in which we live and work,” said Charlene Lake. “We are working to minimize our own environmental impact and are providing our customers with products and services that enable them to minimize their own environmental impacts.”

“At Coca-Cola Enterprises, we’ve fully integrated Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability into our business,” said Etherly. “Particularly in our environmental focus areas of water stewardship, energy conservation/climate change, and sustainable packaging/recycling, we are investing in technology that will help us capture operational efficiencies, drive effectiveness and eliminate waste, while simultaneously protecting the environment.”

Hara Unveils Environmental and Energy Management Solution for the Post-Carbon Economy

Redefines how organizations measure and manage environmental impact and resource consumption beyond carbon; Funded by leading green investors Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

Hara, the company dedicated to helping organizations grow and profit without depleting the earth’s resources, today unveiled HaraTM Environmental and Energy Management (Hara EEM), a comprehensive software as a service solution which enables organizations to holistically monitor and manage their natural resource consumption and environmental impact. Hara EEM gives customers auditable transparency and control over their organizational metabolism (OM) – the collective resources consumed and expended by an organization - including energy, fossil fuels, water, waste, carbon, and other resources. Funded in 2008 by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Hara is enabling customers to identify millions of dollars in savings from energy, water and waste abatement strategies

"Effective environmental management requires good insight, good analysis and good data,” said Bryan Jacob, Director of Energy Management and Climate Protection for The Coca-Cola Company. “We have been pleased to collaborate with Hara in the development of its Energy & Environmental Management solution – an application that combines data collection with mitigation planning and initiative tracking in a comprehensive package that enables us to improve energy efficiency and environmental impact."

More than a dozen organizations, including The Coca-Cola Company and the City of Palo Alto, are already using Hara EEM to improve their operational efficiency, maximize shareholder value and manage risks while keeping up with changing externalities including pricing for commodities such as energy and pending regulation on a global scale.

Companies with a commitment to sustainability have outperformed their peers by 10 to 15 percent*. A perfect storm of business imperatives – environmental, economic, and regulatory – is requiring private and public sector organizations to act now. To date, while the imperatives are clear, most organizations have been without a transparent and auditable way to address these challenges. Hara provides a comprehensive solution to manage the environmental record, and prioritize and track reduction and cost savings initiatives that are both achievable and auditable under current or future regulations.

“Energy efficiency has never been more critical to corporate performance – directly in terms of bottom line costs but also indirectly in terms of related emissions from non-green energy sources,” said Dr. Stephen Stokes, Vice President of Sustainability and Green Technologies at AMR Research. "Tracking, analyzing and optimizing energy usage and emission outputs from economic entities is a crucial, additional, new class of enterprise information which will drive future operational and performance excellence."

“Our vision is to enable a post-carbon economy in which organizations can grow and profit without depleting the earth’s resources,” said Amit Chatterjee, CEO and co-founder of Hara. “Together with our customers, we have the opportunity to write the encyclopedia of environmental efficiency, creating an unprecedented body of knowledge that will influence environmental impact reduction initiatives for years to come.”
http://www.hara.com/

2008 is Year of Carbon Trading and Finance

With a new US president certain to climate change legislation within 2 years and many states now moving forward, carbon trading and finance has ratcheted up this year. Already, the first compliance trade for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative was completed on February 14th, and investors are now circling the space to deploy capital.

"Carbon Trading and Finance is accelerating in 2008 due to impending climate change legislation moving forward in DC next year. Investors are now much more engaged on learning about this emerging sector," said Peter Fusaro, Chairman, Global Change Associates.

The Wall Street Green Trading Summit VII has anticipated changes in the market place for several years on carbon, renewables and energy efficiency. This year's conference on April 2 and 3rd in New York City promises to break new ground on carbon trading and finance. Many new
businesses are now emerging predicated on the monetizing of carbon credits. Wall Street banks and hedge funds are gearing up to provide the needed market making and financial services.

This year's event has a stellar cast of pioneers in environmental finance and trading. It also brings together many of the exchanges active in the market including NYMEX, CCX, APX and Nord Pool. Investment banks are well represented by JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Fortis Bank. And the seven green hedge funds will present their expertise on emissions, renewables, water, and forest products.

http://www.wsgts.com/