Denmark commits to setting carbon targets every five years
Danish governments will be obliged to set national targets to decrease greenhouse gas emissions every five years under a new law passed by the country’s parliament last week. Several parties have committed to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. Progress so far has seen adjusted CO2 emissions drop by 28.4 percent against the baseline. Denmark has also established itself as one of the world’s leading renewable energy markets, with renewables accounting for almost 26 percent of the country’s energy consumption in 2012. With a target to source 100 percent of its power from renewables by 2050, Denmark set a global record late last year when wind turbines met more than 100 percent of the country’s power demand. EU figures released earlier this week also revealed Denmark is the only net energy exporting country among the 28 member states, giving it an energy dependence rate of -3.4 percent, compared to an overall EU average of 53 percent. (Business Green)
European Commission launches legal action against Britain over deadly air pollution
The European Commission has announced that it will begin legal proceedings against the UK over excessive air pollution, following a ruling last year which said that the Government was failing in its legal duty to protect people from the harmful effects of nitrogen dioxide and other air-borne contaminants. Air pollution regularly exceeds EU limits in areas across the UK, and the government has admitted that there is no way of meeting its deadline of 2015, or of bringing levels in London to an acceptable level by 2025. Air pollution causes 29,000 early deaths a year in the UK – more than obesity and alcohol combined. A spokesman from the European Commission said that, “our priority is to protect public health and the environment. We think that’s what the people of the UK would want as well.” A Defra Spokesperson commented, “we are investing heavily in transport measures to improve air quality around busy roads and we are working with the Commission to ensure this happens as soon as possible.” (Telegraph)
Corporate Reputation
Olympic sponsors’ social media “buzz” dominated by gay rights issues
The vast majority of UK social media buzz surrounding Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics sponsors Coca-Cola, Visa and McDonald’s has been critical of their failure to address LGBT issues. Research by social media agency, We Are Social found that four fifths of Coca-Cola’s social mentions referred to the brand’s refusal to address concerns over host country Russia’s anti-gay stance, and that only 2 percent of social chatter was positive about the soft drinks giant. Similar levels of criticism were levelled at Visa, with 77 percent of mentions linked to gay issues. That figure rose to 88 percent for McDonald’s, while 10 percent of chatter was about the fast-food giant’s links to obesity concerns. Ed Kitchingman, a director at We Are Social, said that, “the vacuum of sponsorship activity and a lack of proactivity addressing concerns prior to the Winter Olympics helped exacerbate an already sensitive situation concerning gay rights.” (Marketing Magazine)
Technology
Google’s mapping power harnessed to combat global deforestation
A new online monitoring and alert system that encourages better forest management and aims to help tackle deforestation has been launched. Global Forest Watch uses advanced satellite and analytics technology to lead a new crackdown on illegal deforestation. The project, orchestrated by the World Resources Institute (WRI), Google and a group of 40 businesses and NGOs, aims to harness the latest satellite tracking technology to provide “near-real time” information on tree cover loss. The group hopes that providing free access to monthly tree cover loss data will allow regulators and NGOs to detect illegal logging. An alert service will also aim to notify campaign groups and governments when and where illegal deforestation is taking place. Dr Andrew Steer, president and chief executive of WRI, said that, “businesses, governments and communities desperately want better information about forests – now, they have it. Global Forest Watch is a near-real time monitoring platform that will fundamentally change the way people and businesses manage forests. From now on, the bad guys cannot hide and the good guys will be recognised for their stewardship.” (Business Green)
Employees
Older workers feel bias from employers
Age discrimination cases in the UK have risen significantly in the past five years, with increasing numbers of older Britons missing out on promotions and fearing redundancy. A new study from law firm Slater & Gordon has revealed that workers as young as 40 thought they had hit a “brick wall” in their career. Almost two thirds of employees interviewed did not realise that there was legislation in place to protect them from age discrimination. Despite the fact that three quarters of employees thought they outperformed their younger colleagues, many said that they felt excluded from future business plans because companies valued youth over experience. Edward Cooper, head of employment law at Slater & Gordon, said that, “Often people are fully intending to work well into their sixties and maybe even their seventies, but find that once they get past 40 their options may be more limited than they previously were. No one should feel that they are being pushed out of their job just to make way for younger staff and must ensure their rights are being protected.” (Times*)
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