What does it mean for you? I’ll get to that in a minute.
Observers differ in their opinions of COP15. Jonathan Lasch of WRI felt that the “last-minute agreement at Copenhagen marks turning point for the world”.
Greenpeace and the Wall Street Journal were jointly skeptical, pointing to carbon price drops as a signal that Copenhagen was either a “cop-out” or a “disappointment”.
The New Yorker (remembering, perhaps, Ben Bradlee’s admonition to “follow the money”) highlighted China’s aggressive renewable energy program. Watch what we do, not what we say?
If [national] governments won’t act, Bill Becker says, “businesses, consumers & communities must step up.”
And in fact that’s happening. As Terry Tamminen observes in Copenhagen Coal in the Stocking,
The Gang of Five may… have done the world a favor by blowing up the UN process in Copenhagen, because it cleared the way for parallel international alliances to blossom. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced the creation of the R20, a new “sub-national UN” (starting with 20 regions of states/provinces/cities) that will coordinate the work of these climate leadership governors and mayors, but with a major difference from the old UN. The R20 will set high standards for cutting carbon and creating green economies, then invite others to join — if they can meet the same goals. By contrast, the UN has struggled because it needs every nation in the tent and can only get things done when all 192 agree — something that rarely happens unless goals are watered down to the lowest common denominator.
Closer to home, the White House is “poised” to require climate impact studies for new Federal actions.
I ended my pre-COP15 post last month with:
The only question is this: What does leadership in a carbon-conscious economy look like?
Ultimately, the coming carbon regulations give executives the same choices they’ve always had: resist, follow, or lead. This time, though, it’s for real — and the stakes are stratospherically high.
The good news: this changing business climate offers an opportunity for smart companies — like yours? — to deploy integrated, game-changing sustainability strategies that leapfrog regulations to drive exceptional environmental performance, profits, market share and brand value.
Climate change is just the tip of the iceberg — a doorway into a world of new possibilities.
But what does all that mean for you? Let’s bring it down to earth, for your company, state, city or household. How do you remove the apparent “economic necessity” of tinkering with the climate? What’s your path of action?
Here’s how I put in back in 1996:
In practical terms, that means that competitive advantage shifts to those who can learn to prosper economically without depending on jiggering the global climate…for whom tinkering with the climate is no longer an economic necessity.
Or, in other words:
Cogitate.
Deliberate.
But don’t wait.
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