Event: Net Impact Approaches Conference on Tuesday 22nd May 2018
See below for more information on a conference exploring the latest in companies measuring, valuing, and setting target for environmental and social impacts for reporting and decision-making.
Climate Change
Report: All countries in the Paris Agreement now have policies to fight climate change
The London School of Economics has found that all 197 countries which signed the landmark Paris Agreement now have at least one law in place to limit global temperatures. The new research, Global trends in climate change legislation and litigation: 2018 snapshot, highlights the significant uptake in climate legislation over the past 20 years. According to the researchers, there are now more 1,500 climate laws and policies in place around the world. Of these, 106 were introduced since the Paris Agreement was signed in December 2015. The research also shines a light on the amount of new climate change related litigation. The estimated number of court cases is now at over 1,000, with the United States being responsible for 800 of these. Many of these cases have been launched in the past 18 months as a response to the Trump administration’s rolling back of climate regulations, including its intention to leave the Paris accord. (Climate Action Programme)
Employees
Unions at Disneyland, California push for vote on living wage
A coalition of unions representing Disneyland workers say they have collected enough signatures to put a ballot measure before voters in Anaheim, California that would require the Walt Disney Company to pay the resort workers a “living wage”. The coalition of 11 labour unions that have been pushing for higher wages at Disneyland Resort, which includes the California Adventure Park and nearby hotels, says it plans to present a petition with about 20,000 signatures to the Anaheim city clerk’s office. If enough signatures are verified, the measure on the November ballot would ask voters to require Disney and other large Anaheim employers that accept city subsidies to pay workers a minimum of $15 an hour starting Jan. 1, 2019, with salaries rising $1 an hour every Jan. 1 through 2022. Once the wages reach $18 an hour, annual raises would then be tied to the cost of living. (Los Angeles Times)
Waste
Tetra Pak to develop paper straws for drinks cartons
Tetra Pak has announced it is working on a new paper-based straw that could replace the small plastic straws that are used with small drinks cartons. Plastic straws are an integral part of portion-sized drinks cartons but they present a threat to marine habitats if they are not properly disposed of. Tetra Pak has previously called on customers to aid safe disposal of the straws by pushing them “back in the pack” once the carton is empty but is now working to fully eradicate the risk of plastic straw waste by developing a new paper straw that is suitable for use with portion-sized drinks cartons. Tetra Pak said the project was part of its long-running efforts to curb the environmental impact of its packaging, boost recycling rates, and crack down on plastic waste. The company said that on average its packages are 75 percent paperboard and paper straws would mark “another important step towards the company’s long-term ambition of offering a completely renewable portfolio.” (BusinessGreen)
Environment
Australia pledges largest single investment to save Great Barrier Reef
Australia’s government has pledged AU$500 million towards protecting the Great Barrier Reef, in partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, in what is being called the largest single investment in the embattled ecosystem ever. The funds will go toward combating water pollution, predatory coral-eating starfish, increasing public awareness and reef monitoring, as well as modifying surrounding businesses so that they are more environmentally sound. “Our contribution, through the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, represents the single largest funding commitment ever for reef conservation and management in Australia’s history,” Josh Frydenberg, Australia’s environment and energy minister, said in an op-ed that stressed that “the right plan and the right investment” will ensure the reef’s survival. Some environmentalists fear, however, that this action doesn’t target the real issue at hand: global warming. With Australia’s continued use of fossil fuels cited by many as a significant cause of the reef’s destruction. (Huffington Post)
Conflict Minerals
Venezuela stops paying $1 billion debt to Canadian gold miner
Venezuela has stopped making payments on more than $1 billion it owes to a Canadian mining company, highlighting the country’s extreme difficulties in paying off its overseas debt. Gold Reserve sued Venezuela under the World Bank’s dispute settlement system more than eight years ago over the expropriation of its gold mining operations. The company finally agreed to a $1.03 billion settlement in September 2016, mostly to be paid in monthly instalments that began in July 2017. However, the fourth-quarter financial statement published by Gold Reserve have shown that the payments ceased in November 2017. Venezuela’s dispute with Gold Reserve is one of several involving foreign mining companies that invested in the country as the government sought to exploit what are thought to be some of the world’s largest deposits of gold and other metals. But gold mining has since become chaotic with foreign companies forced out and illegal miners taking over, often overseen by the army. (Financial Times*)
Event
2018 Net Impact Approaches Conference (22.05.2018), 15 Hatfields, London
Building upon the success of the 2017 event, this conference will bring together the different communities involved in Net Impact Approaches to: share best practice, highlight key initiatives and approaches, move the topic forwards by addressing pressing issues, and facilitate collaboration with key players.
Corporate Citizenship Briefing is delighted to be supporting the conference again. We are pleased to be able to offer a 10% discount for CCB subscribers members using this link https://netimpactapproaches2018.eventbrite.com/?aff=CCB and promotional code CCBNIA18).
Sustainability leaders contributing to this event include: Schroders, UNEP WCMC, Solvay, Olam, Yorkshire Water, Interface, Novartis, Forum for the Future and more.
COMMENTS