Climate-smart cities could save the world $22tn, say economists
Putting cities on a course of smart growth – with expanded public transit, energy-saving buildings, and better waste management – could save as much as $22 trillion by 2050 and avoid the equivalent of India’s annual output of greenhouse gases every year, according to leading economists. The Global Commission on Climate and Economy, an independent initiative by former finance ministers and leading research institutions, found climate-smart cities would spur economic growth and a better quality of life – at the same time as cutting carbon pollution. Two-thirds of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050, with Africa’s urban population growing at twice the rate of the rest of the world. The right choices now, in terms of long-term planning for urban development and transport, could improve people’s lives and fight climate change, the report found. (Guardian)
Supply Chain
Nestlé responds to child labour audit findings
Food group Nestlé has issued a public response to an external audit which found evidence of child labour at cocoa farms connected to the company, more than a decade after the food company promised to end the use of child labour in its supply chain. The report by the Fair Labor Association (FLA), which Nestlé commissioned in 2013 amid international pressure, saw researchers visit 260 farms in Côte d’Ivoire from September to December 2014. The researchers found child workers at 7% of the farms visited. Though they found Nestlé had made substantial efforts to inform farmers about its code of conduct, awareness was low among farmers. Responding to the report, Nestlé stated: “Child labour has no place in our supply chain… We are taking action to progressively eliminate it”. Nestlé says it aims to roll out its new Child Labour Remediation and Monitoring System to all Nestlé Cocoa Plan co-operatives by the end of 2016. (BHRRC)
Indonesian officials say palm oil commitments hurt small farmers
Two weeks ago, senior Indonesian officials slammed a commitment by five giant palm oil companies to purge their supply chains of deforestation, saying it hurts farmers, usurps the government’s authority and might constitute a cartel dominated by foreign interests. But now, other Indonesians, including the head of a major smallholders union, have taken aim at those assertions. They portrayed the pact, known as the Indonesia Palm Oil Pledge (IPOP), as an important milestone on the road toward sustainability for an industry whose rapid expansion has eaten away at the country’s rainforests and peatlands, pumping huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere and infringing on the territories of indigenous peoples and endangered species. The back-and-forth was the latest skirmish in the debate over how far Indonesia should go to protect its remaining ecological wealth as it attempts to strike a balance between conservation and development. (EcoBusiness)
Policy
UK employers fear impact of living wage, says recruitment group
The UK’s leading recruitment company and the Federation of Small Businesses have warned that the upcoming rise in the minimum wage is affecting recruitment and growth prospects. “The national living wage is sending shockwaves through the UK labour market,” said James Hick, managing director of ManpowerGroup Solutions UK, which surveyed 2,100 employers. Mr Hick said employers were scaling back recruitment plans and job prospects were at their weakest since the final quarter of 2012. Whitbread, the owner of Premier Inn hotels and Costa Coffee, has separately announced that it expects to cut spending and increase some prices to counter the “substantial” cost of the minimum wage hike. The introduction of the national living wage next year is expected to affect about 6 million people, with The Office for Budget Responsibility estimating that the extra costs could mean up to 60,000 job losses. (FT*,Guardian)
Renewables
Panasonic criticises ‘damaging’ cuts to UK solar power subsidies
Panasonic, one of the world’s largest electronics companies, has urged the UK government to think again about its plans to cut subsidies for homeowners who install solar panels. The Japanese company, which is a major supplier of solar panels in Britain, said it normally tried to avoid intervening in political decisions but could not stand by and watch the industry being attacked. Amber Rudd, the energy and climate change secretary, said 10 days ago that she would consult on plans to reduce financial support for solar energy installations in a bid to ease the burden on bill payers. Daniel Roca, the UK country manager for the solar division of Panasonic, urged ministers to think again about their proposals. “Let’s keep [the industry] alive, let’s help it further develop to become fully independent from state support, with energy storage and a closer involvement of utilities. But let’s not push the bird out of the nest before it can properly fly,” he said. (Guardian)
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