World Energy Council: Sustainable future dependent on energy industry support
According to a new report by the World Energy Council (WEC), the global energy industry must play a greater role in the transition to sustainable energy systems if the UN development goals are to be met. The World Energy Trilemma report, Time to get real – the case for sustainable energy investment, states that it has become difficult to develop and implement long-term energy policies because of disruptions caused by emerging technologies, shifting patterns of energy use and supply, and the lack of global consensus on climate change and a future energy framework. The executive chair of the World Energy Trilemma report, Joan MacNaughton, said that “the private sector needs to better understand how policy is made and how to contribute to it more effectively. It should also be more proactive in helping to build an informed consensus that moves us away from ad hoc approaches dominated by debate about short-term costs." (Edie)
Global companies urge US policymakers to address climate change
Microsoft, Unilever, the UK headquartered alcoholic beverages company Diageo and the world’s largest fibreglass manufacturer Owens Corning, are among the 650 global companies who have signed the US sustainable leadership NGO Ceres’ Climate Declaration, which calls on US policymakers to address climate change as an economic opportunity. Rob Bernard, the Chief Environmental Strategist at Microsoft, said that the firm “gains business value from cost-effective policies that increase the availability of low carbon and renewable energy for us to use in our operations.” 22 of the Climate Declaration signatories, including Unilever, Levi Strauss, Symantec and Patagonia, have also signed a letter supporting the carbon pollution standards for power plants which were proposed last week by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The calls to US policymakers come ahead of the launch of New York City’s Climate Week 2013 and the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report on the 30th of September 2013. (Sustainable Brands; Environmental Leader)
Child labour down by a third since 2000
According to a new report by the UN International Labour Organisation (ILO), the global number of child labourers has declined by one third since 2000, from 246 million to 168 million. The report, Marking Progress against Child Labour, states that the Asia Pacific region has registered the largest decline in child labour, from 114 million to 78 million. However the rate of decline is not enough to achieve the global goal of eliminating the worst forms of child labour by 2016, which was agreed by the international community through the ILO. The Director General of the ILO, Guy Ryder, said that “we are moving in the right direction but progress is still too slow. If we are serious about ending the scourge of child labour in the foreseeable future, then we need a substantial stepping-up of efforts at all levels. There are 168 million good reasons to do so.” The ILO found that the agricultural sector uses the highest number of child labourers, with the recorded number being 98 million. (CleanBiz Asia)
Tata unveils first all-female outsourcing centre in Saudi Arabia
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), one of India’s leading software developers, has unveiled its debut “all-female services centre” in Riyadh, as part of plans to access a largely untapped pool of employees. The centre is a joint venture with the US company General Electric, which will hold a minority stake, while also being one of the early clients, along with the state-backed oil company, Saudi Aramco. Social customs and strict rules on the separation of men and women limit female employment in Saudi Arabia. Although most banks and some factories have women-only sections, exclusively female operations are rare. Natarajan Chandrasekaran, the Chief Executive of TCS, said that there is “a big opportunity to help people, especially women, find good professional jobs.” The centre, which aims to employ 3,000 Saudi women, will open in 2014 with an initial staff of 400 and will carry out functions such as human resources and finance. (Financial Times*)
Frackers fear being held to ransom by landowner loophole
The UK shale gas industry is demanding the right to frack without landowners’ consent to prevent opposition groups exploiting a legal loophole that could paralyse drilling for years. It has emerged that fracking companies need landowners’ permission if wells pass beneath their land, or the companies risk being liable for trespass. Shale gas companies are concerned that anti-fracking groups will buy “ransom strips” of land around drilling sites, which would allow them to seek an injunction to stop fracking operations and claim damages. The UK Onshore Operators Group, the shale gas industry body, is currently in talks with the UK Government over the issue. Companies are reportedly seeking primary legislation to exempt them from securing landowners’ consent, as is the case for coalminers and the operators of underground gas pipes. The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change said that there were “no plans” to change the law, but the UK Treasury is understood to be backing an exemption for the industry. (The Times*)
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