Björn Stigson

Why “releasing” technology is not the answer

The trouble with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's recent call for developed countries to “release” low-carbon technologies free of charge to less developed countries is that governments and countries do not normally own technologies, businesses do.

Businesses they put years of hard work, massive amounts of money and intellectual capacity into developing technologies. It is not for governments to give them away, and it is unhelpful for Mr Singh to suggest they should, especially in the run-up to the climate talks in Copenhagen.

Does Mr Singh really not see that “releasing” technologies, as he proposes, would halt investment and stifle the very kinds of innovation the world is relying on to meet its climate challenge?

Technology and the climate solution

Energy makes the world go round. I know there are those who would say it is money that does so, but I believe it is energy, because without energy it is difficult to have the kind of economic growth that spreads prosperity.

It is up to us to do something about the huge numbers of the world's people who live in hunger, without access to clean water and sanitation, and without access to electricity. We also need to do something about climate change, of that there is no doubt.

The link between these two issues is energy. Electricity will be needed to purify and deliver a water supply, to treat wastewater, and to grow and transport food. Yet we cannot allow the increased demand for electricity that the world's burgeoning population will create to mean an increase in greenhouse gas emissions as that would be catastrophic for our climate. A move to a high-growth, low-carbon economy is essential.

Revolution and Stumbling Blocks on the way to Copenhagen

We have just a little over five months until the world gathers in Copenhagen to consider the next global climate deal. Precisely how those negotiations will go is difficult to predict, but I do know this: around the world there is unprecedented pressure on governments for something to be done.

Suddenly, everyone is talking about the low-carbon, resource-efficient economy that is going to create green jobs, help mitigate climate change and ease the impacts of a population that is growing, in numbers and in wealth, in developing countries.

The Clean, Lean, Mean industrial revolution gets a little closer every day. The United States, the European Union and China all want to be leaders in “cleantech” products and services and are allocating more funding to develop and promote technologies that will achieve this.

But there are still some serious stumbling blocks to be overcome during and after the Copenhagen talks.

Energy efficiency in buildings: what are we waiting for?

Many of us are proud of our homes, and spend a great deal of time and effort making them comfortable. Some save much of their lives to buy one of their own, while elsewhere in the world others merely want to be able to live in one. Sizes, styles and sturdiness vary, but all have an impact on the world we live in no matter where they are.

Around the world, more and more people are converging on cities, many of them hoping to better their lives. By 2050, 70 percent of people are expected to be urbanized, and all will need something to live in.

 

At the same time, the total number of people is increasing. The world's population is expected to grow by 50 percent, or three billion people, by 2050. Some 85 percent are expected to live in what we now call developing countries, and all of these too will need housing.

Can society still afford to focus on sustainable development?

My view is that now is precisely the time it should be. Right now it should be clear to everyone that we cannot go on as we have been.

What we have now is a rare chance to re-shape our world. I believe that we are living in a moment of history, that all around us a new industrial revolution is beginning.

This will be the “lean, mean, clean” revolution. It will be clean because we know we cannot go on polluting as we have been and maintain functioning ecosystems; it will be lean because a growing population and the need to alleviate poverty will leave us with a resource-constrained world with higher prices for food, oil and gas; and it will be mean because the transformation this revolution will bring will create winners and losers.

It is true that for some countries and some businesses there will be difficulties ahead as economic recession bites. The same is true for individuals, some of whom will struggle after they lose their jobs. We should not lose sight of this.

A vision for our low-carbon future

Earlier this month I was in India for the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit. This is an interesting event that each year brings together opinion leaders from around the world for an exchange of views.

This year, hardly surprisingly, there was much discussion about the global economic downturn, stimulus packages, the future of sustainable development, and fairness for developing countries in climate negotiations.

But there was talk, too, about how we all suffered from a lack of vision for a better future, that our discussions were based on fear, not desire for something better. A positive vision, it was felt, would encourage humans to “stop surviving and start living”.

I think this is how we should think about sustainable development, as an opportunity to do something better in future. I am often asked whether companies can still afford to invest in sustainable development. Of course they can. They are.

China and the US hold the key to climate success

It is only January, but already it is clear that 2009 will be an important year for those of us working to stabilize our climate and put the world on a more sustainable path.

We do not know yet whether the international community will be able to reach an agreement on a post-Kyoto global climate accord at the United Nations COP 15 climate change conference in Copenhagen in December, though we continue to hope that it will. But one thing is certain, there will be no chance of an agreement in Copenhagen unless China and the United States agree between them that they need to address climate change in a coordinated manner.

These are the world's two biggest emitters of carbon dioxide, and though they may be poles apart politically, their “climate profiles” are similar. The US and China are the biggest users of coal and biggest polluters. As consumers of vast amounts of energy, both have an interest – economically and environmentally – in working for the development of clean energy and energy-efficient technologies.

Global Business Day at Poznan climate talks

Poznań is a city with an interesting heart. Its cobbled streets and historic market square rest at its core, deflecting with quiet dignity the bustle around it.

In the 10 th century the city was Poland's capital; today, it is Poland's fifth largest city and fourth largest industrial centre and a fitting place for the WBCSD to hold its Poznań Global Business Day.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference was in town, bringing with it some 11,000 participants, all adding to the bustle, and all there to try to help the world reach an agreement about how to fight climate change after 2012 when the Kyoto Protocol expires.

Under the umbrella of the conference and along with the International Chamber of Commerce, we held the Business Day to bring together more than 200 business leaders, governments, negotiators and representatives from civil society and other groups for face-to-face talks about the way forward.

Sustainable development, the financial crisis and Barack Obama

When I woke up in Johannesburg on November 5th it was to the news that Barack Obama had been elected president of the United States.

We were in South Africa for the WBCSD's Council meeting, and at the opening plenary session later in the day, the talk among delegates was about the historic win and the difficult task ahead of Obama as leader of the world's biggest economy as it struggles with recession.

Obama outlined the challenges ahead in his victory speech: " … two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century."

Around us, the financial sector is being re-shaped after a dramatic collapse in some parts of it, trust in the market has been eroded, and governments have been making a comeback as regulators and overseers.

What gets measured, gets done – WBCSD launches Framework to measure the business contribution to society

Business knows that what gets measured - gets done. As more and more companies embed sustainable development into their core business strategy, it is becoming increasingly important that we be able to measure progress towards building a more sustainable and inclusive world. Only by measuring and assessing the impact of our actions can we understand what works and what doesn't work and begin to change the way we do business to enhance our positive impact.

In recent years, the WBCSD and others have helped arm companies with the tools they need to start quantifying their contribution to sustainable development. Tools such as the GHG Protocol, Global Water Tool and Ecosystems Services Review have proven useful for understanding a range of environmental impacts.

Our most recent contribution to the toolbox broadens the scope of measurement to include economic and social impacts. The Measuring Impact Framework, launched by the WBCSD Development Focus Area, aims to help companies understand their contribution to society in the areas where they operate. They can then use this understanding to inform their operational and investment decisions and have better-informed conversations with stakeholders.