By Andrew Donoghue, 15 June 2005 09:35
NEWS BT chief executive Ben Verwaayen has become the latest technology company head to call for government action to tackle climate change, claiming that it is already costing his company money.
Speaking to the Observer last week, Verwaayen said that severe weather systems resulting from climate change had caused substantial damage to BT's UK operations with the situation was only set to get worse.
"The gales last winter followed Scotland's wettest summer on record," said Verwaayen. "This meant we experienced numerous cable faults, overhead cables down and a whole car park full of vehicles ruined by floods."
BT is part of an organisation known as the Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change (CLGCC), which includes tech companies such as Cisco systems and Sun Microsystems. The group recently conducted an investigation to highlight the technological and legislative solutions that could reduce carbon emissions.
Initial findings were presented last week to Tony Blair ahead of the G8 Summit at Gleneagles in Scotland. In particular the group is calling for a clearer framework of legislation around climate change to help business make the case for investment in cleaner, greener technologies to upper management and shareholders.
The group stated: "We need a strong policy framework that creates a long-term value for carbon-emission reductions and consistently supports the development of new technologies. Without such policies, our companies are not able to justify to our boards or investors the necessarily high up-front investment in low-carbon R&D, technologies and processes."
The Prince of Wales is also involved with the CLGCC. He claimed recently that climate change will require a co-ordinated response from every sector of society, including the business community. "The role these companies are offering to play is highly strategic - essentially helping us to create a political space in which effective policies can be introduced and global progress can be achieved."
At the end of last year, BT announced what it claimed was the world's largest purchase of green electricity by moving the majority of the company's electricity needs to environmentally friendly sources.
BT claims to have reduced its energy-related CO2 emissions by 80 per cent since 1991 - nearly 1.5m tonnes per year. This, the company claims was achieved through investing in energy efficient plant and equipment, reducing waste and buying green energy.
Andrew Donoghue writes for ZDNet UK
Comments
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1. Fed Up of the UK
I no longer care about the enviroment as it has constantly been an excuse for stealth taxation. Wacky "KEN" (London Mayoral Disaster)l eads the way forward with Bus and Tube price increases joined up thinking NOT. Lets all stop working to pay the taxation bills and enjoy life it's too short and I for one am pi**ed off with pay pay pay.
2. Pragmatist
Dear Fed Up - without clean air, fresh water, and productive land, how exactly do you plan to stay alive? Perhaps you have forgotten you are not a computer.
3. Mike
Dear Fed Up, Go on bury your head in the sand like an ostrich! But remember where that leaves your backside!
4. A heretic
Seems to me that climate change is going to happen. It is not clear that it is going to be universally disastrous.
Therefore lets invest in adapting to and benefitting from it rather than trying to fight it.
5. Sylvia Jensen
Ben Verwaayen is right to point out that the government must implement a clearer framework of legislation around climate change. BT’s decision to invest in renewable energy should be applauded, but businesses must be aware that air travel poses a more immediate threat to the environment.
According to a study released by the University of York, air emissions pose the biggest threat to the environment. The report encourages businesses to use technology such as online meetings as an alternative to air travel.
Technological alternatives to business travel, such as web meetings, can increase productivity as well as benefiting the environment. To put this into perspective, on average for every passenger on a round trip flight from London to New York around 1.2 tonnes of damaging carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere. If translated into watts of electricity, the same amount of carbon dioxide would allow a business person to meet online for nearly 25 weeks continuously!