Corporate Governance

Governing for Sustainability

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In early November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines, the stron- gest cyclone to make landfall in recorded history. It killed thousands of people, displaced more than 4 million, and left 2.5 million in need of food aid. Hitting just before the round of climate negotiations known as the 19th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Con- vention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), it was yet another reminder of the climate-charged superstorms and other disasters that lie in store if countries do not act with due haste to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It prompted the Philippines’ chief negotiator at COP 19, Yeb Sano, to announce that he would fast until conference participants made “meaningful” progress.1
Cold, hard data reinforce the sense that humanity is at an unprecedented crossroads that requires a sharp departure from politics and business as usu- al. In 2012, global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from fossil fuel burn- ing and cement production climbed to a new peak of 9.7 billion tons, and they were projected to reach 9.9 billion tons in 2013. The 2.7 percent average annual increase in emissions during 2003–12 was almost triple the rate of the previous decade. In early 2013, the concentration of CO2 in the earth’s atmosphere for the first time crossed the threshold of 400 parts per million.2
The chances of limiting global temperature increases to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) within this century are “swiftly diminishing,” in the judgment of Achim Steiner, executive director of the United Nations Envi- ronment Programme. This goal was endorsed by governments in 2010 as a “safe” maximum to avoid the worst consequences, although some regard it as still too high. Yet under current government policies, global greenhouse gas emissions still will be 8 to 12 billion tons higher than the maximum al- lowable in 2020, likely leading to a warming of 3.7 degrees Celsius or worse. The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that current policies could raise temperatures by as much as 6 degrees Celsius.3

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Detail Information

Series Title

Governing for Sustainability

Call Number

-

Publisher

London : Worldwatch Institute., 2014

Collation

1-314

Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

978-1-61091-542-7

Classification

NONE

Content Type

-

Media Type

-

Carrier Type

-

Edition

1st Edtion

Subject(s)

Governance

Specific Detail Info

-

Statement of Responsibility

-

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