Business Snatches Initiative on Climate Change

Tuesday, 30 March 2010 13:34

Business and environment group leaders met today to review the collapse of the CPRS and how to manage risk in the face of climate change and a policy void, at Total Environment Centre’s Doing Nothing Is Not An Option event.

Run by Green Capital, TEC’s business engagement program, the event also launched a Carbon & Energy Quick Check tool for business, CARB-EN.

The panel was chaired by the ABC’s Quentin Dempster, and speakers included Blair Palese, CEO, 350.org; Jon Jutsen, Executive Director, Energetics; Sean Macken, Director (NSW), Hawker Britton; Andrew Petersen, Partner, Climate Change Services, PricewaterhouseCoopers; Freddie Sharpe, CEO of Climate Friendly; Dr Tony Wilkins, News Limited’s Manager of Environment and Climate Change; and Matthew Wright, Executive Director, Beyond Zero Emissions.

“The clear message is that doing nothing is costing business money,” said Jeff Angel, Executive Director of TEC.

Jon Jutsen said, ““Energy efficiency, which is highly underrated, could deliver 53% of savings to every business and household. We can’t press the rewind button on the planet. Once the resources are gone they’re gone forever.”

Blair Palese called on business to “stop being nice and get ugly!”

“Politicians are not listening to the public,” she said, “and business is not telling government what it wants. We have the solutions and we need to get in the face of the people who are not acting to break this policy vacuum.”

CARBEN sets out five areas ranging from greening the supply chain to staff green teams, where business can act now.  TEC called on company’s to rank themselves from inaction/basic to excellent/inspirational as a way to help guide improvements in their performance.

“Companies that do take action now will be far better prepared for when a carbon priced does come in.  It’s not a matter of if, but when,” said Mr Angel.