Companies prepare for emission reduction<\/p>\n
A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali<\/p>\n
Voluntary initiatives from major corporations around the world
\nto address the problem of climate change are needed in a time of
\nlack of commitment from governments to do so, according to the
\nWorld Economic Forum.<\/p>\n
World Economic Forum spokespersons said on Friday that they
\nhad been organizing a multi-stakeholder partnership to design and
\noperate a global register of voluntary corporate green house gas
\n(GHG) emission reduction commitments since January this year.<\/p>\n
The partnership was being held in consultation with companies,
\nenvironmental organizations and governments.<\/p>\n
The purpose of the initiative was to facilitate voluntary
\nearly action by corporate polluters to inventory and reduce gas
\nemissions, said Richard Samans, one of the directors at the World
\nEconomic Forum.<\/p>\n
"The participants, especially the companies, might be more
\ninclined to take early action to inventory and to set voluntary
\ntargets to reduce the green house gas emission if there is a
\nglobal commitment for that, in the form of partnership," Samans
\ntold the participants in a discussion held on Friday by the World
\nEconomic Forum here.<\/p>\n
The discussion, entitled the Global Greenhouse Gas Register of
\nVoluntary Corporate Commitments, was a side event to the
\npreparatory committee (Prep Comm) meeting for the World Summit on
\nSustainable Development.<\/p>\n
The launch of the first registrations for companies to
\nparticipate in the gas reduction partnership program is expected
\nto be held at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in January
\n2003.<\/p>\n
Tahar Hadj-Sadok, a UN executive, welcomed the initiative.
\nHowever, he warned that voluntary registration by the companies
\nshould be followed by legally binding commitments by the
\ncompanies so that it would be enforceable.<\/p>\n
"The initiative should also be followed with the establishment
\nof a credible institution to monitor and intervene the
\nimplementation of the initiative," Sadok, deputy executive
\nsecretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
\nChange, said at the discussion.<\/p>\n
Some companies have declared their intention to join the
\nregistration process. They include Shell International, British
\nPetroleum and others, despite financial costs as a result of
\ntheir participation in the initiative.<\/p>\n
Reduction of gas emissions has been a contentious issue for
\nmost corporations since it would increase overhead costs for
\nthem. However, companies are being encouraged to join the
\ninitiative since it could also produce benefits for them in terms
\nof good reputations.<\/p>\n
"The green house gas emission reduction could produce good
\npublic relations for the companies," Dirk Forrester, the managing
\ndirector of the Natsource Inc., told The Jakarta Post after the
\ndiscussion.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Antonio LaVina, a senior fellow with the World
\nResource Institute, said failures to address the problem of
\nclimate change would have an adverse impact on the public.<\/p>\n
"That will claim people's lives, create frustration to farmers
\ndue to low agricultural productivity, affect the eco-system and
\nmany other natural disasters including flooding and drought,"
\nLaVina said.<\/p>\n
According to the United Nations Environment Program, the
\nnumber of people affected by natural disasters jumped from an
\naverage of 147 million a year in the 1980s to 211 million a year
\nin 1990s.<\/p>\n
Global financial losses from the natural disasters were, in
\n1999, estimated to cost over US$100 billion.<\/p>\n
In addition, climate change also affects human health in three
\nmajor ways: the increased rates of infectious diseases from
\ninsects and rodents, respiratory illnesses related to increased
\nair pollution and deaths related to thermal extremes, according
\nto a U.S.-based non-governmental organization Redefining
\nProgress.<\/p>",
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