Is climate change real?

Yes and heres how the world is fighting it

15th December 2016

WHEN news emerged that Donald Trump would be the next
occupant of the Oval Office, the resultant gasps of disbelief and
protests heard the world over reached a deafening roar.
As investor sweat poured and markets faced mayhem at opening
bell, the global green movement prepared for an anticipated
rollback on climate change. Through the media both social and
traditional, environmentalists lamented the blighted future of
the Paris climate accord and wondered how far Trump would take
his campaign pledge to withdraw U.S. commitment to the deal.
Trump supporters dismissed the concern as over-inflated but
heres the thing: As the worlds largest economy and second
biggest polluter, the U.S. is undoubtedly integral to the accord
that ambitiously wants to hold the increase in global average

temperature to under 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial

levels.
China, known as the worlds biggest polluter with 1.6 million
pollution-related deaths every year, has already signed on to the
accord and committed to reducing emissions.
Climate champions say that when it comes to adopting policies on
sustainability, there can be no escape hatches, and that this
means there is no turning back from the Obama administrations
ratification of the Paris deal in September. A provision in the
agreement also states that a signatory would have to wait four
years to pull out after joining up. So Trump may well have to wait
for the next presidential polls before he can erase the U.S.s
signature on the pact.
But many advocates and world leaders supportive of the historic
deal are still afraid that Trumps formal ascension next month to
the U.S. presidency would somehow unravel decades of
painstaking intergovernmental negotiations. It is not difficult to
see why. On Sunday, Trump was heard confirming to Fox News
Sunday that he IS taking a second look at the Paris agreement to
see if the U.S. should withdraw its commitment to limit
environmental output.
Now, Paris, Im studying. I do say this: I dont want that
agreement to put us at a competitive disadvantage with other
countries, he said.
He also said that nobody really knows if climate change was
real and that it was not something hard and fast, again setting
tongues wagging on the incoming U.S. administrations climate
policy.
To add salt to wound, a quick Internet search drew up
this Reuters article in November saying that there are legal
shortcuts that could allow an early U.S. pull-out from the accord.
Although pre-emptive, this was all the fodder scientific theorists
needed to fill pages upon pages of doomsday scenarios.

And these concerns arent necessarily misplaced. But why the

sense of urgency? Because, as this recent Irish Times
editorial succinctly suggests, tomorrow is too late to address
climate change.

Participants at the Marrakech COP22 climate conference stage a

public show of support for climate negotiations and Paris
agreement, on the last day of the meeting in Morocco on Friday,
Nov 18, 2016. Source: AP/David Keyton
People, planet and profit The dilemma
Trumps argument on competitive disadvantage is age-old. It boils
down to the debate on people, planet and profit, a discussion on
priorities that has become intrinsically associated with the growth
and development of every emerging economy.
In fact, it was this very question that led to the birth of the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on

March 21, 1994, the precursor to the Paris Agreement. The

convention remains central to the global climate change agenda
as it represents the first time there was universal recognition of
the phenomenon as a growing problem.
The Paris Agreement itself was reached within the UNFCCC
framework last year, when world leaders acknowledged the need
to accelerate anti-global warming efforts. Apart from committing
countries to keeping temperature rises to well below 2 degrees
Celsius, the agreement also seeks the pursuit of efforts to limit
increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius, all by cutting greenhouse gas
emissions to net zero in the second half of the century.
Today, of a total 194 signatories, a promising 117 parties have
ratified the Paris Agreement, which came into force on Nov 4.
CSR: The long-term solution
Even from a cursory glance at how the discourse on climate
change has evolved over the years, one thing remains clear:
World leaders are now aware that the people, planet or profit
dilemma is neither a political zero sum game nor a competition of
winners and losers. And while there is no fast solution to this
because you cannot snap your fingers and undo 150 years of
industrial pollution this institutionalisation of anti-global
warming efforts show that most of mankind believe that climate
change IS real and is imminent.
Governments and corporations now know that satisfying the
bottom line cannot come at the expense of the environment, and
that global warming has become an unavoidable problem, caused
chiefly by human activity.

A polar bear drinks from a pond. Source: Quincy

Floyd/Shutterstock
This week, scientists warned that rising temperatures that melt
sea ice in the Arctic will likely reduce the polar bear population,
while another report said climate change has curbed winter food
for animals, causing the average weight of reindeers near the
North Pole to drop significantly. Why? Because Arctic
temperatures are rising fast too fast due to the alarming buildup rate of greenhouse gasses (GHG) in the atmosphere.
It was once easy to feel disconnected to these stories as although
disheartening, they failed to teach us the domino effect of every
unsustainable human activity.
But thanks to the Internet, this is no longer an acceptable excuse.
For example, Sustainable Baby Steps, a website started by natural
wellness advocate Tara, has this simple, easy-to-understand list
on the natural and manmade causes of climate change. In the list,
Tara suggests that manmade causes include among others,
urbanisation; GHG emissions from dirty energy generated from
burning oil, coal or natural gas; unsustainable farming (another
major source of GHG); and of course an unhealthy dependency on

chemicals, from the production of plastics that get dumped into

our oceans, to cleaning supplies and food preparation.
Educational sites like Taras, along with studies that explain the
far-reaching effects of climate change and draw links between
unsustainable business practices and the warming of global
temperatures, have led to many firms embarking on corporate
social responsibility (CSR) programmes aimed at reducing their
carbon footprint in a variety of ways.

Cutting carbon emissions

A plane emitting smoke at cruising altitude. Source: Peter
Gudella/Shutterstock
According to the Air Transport Action Group, the aviation industry
is responsible for 12 percent of carbon emissions from all
transport sources, having produced 781 million tonnes of CO2 in
2015.
One major company that has actively rolled out efforts to reduce
carbon emissions is Japan Airlines (JAL).
As the flag carrier of a country whose people are said to
be obsessed with climate change, JAL is determined to take
control of its own impact on the environment and has made global
conservation a core theme across its daily operations.

By boosting numbers of 787-8/-9 aircraft, known for boasting

considerably lower fuel consumption levels than models
previously used, the companys total CO emissions per revenueton-kilometer for fiscal 2015 improved by 1.5 year-on-year,
contributing to a decline of 14.9 percent from the fiscal 2005
level.
And that merely touches the surface of JALs sustainable
decisions; by conducting conscious Eco Flights, the company has
already saved around 42,000 tonnes in carbon gas emissions; by
implementing 2,900 of the worlds most advanced cargo
containers and 1,500 lightweight pallets, JAL has reduced another
6,900 tonnes of harmful CO; and through innovative
collaboration with Japanese industry, government and academia,
the company is helping to produce aviation biofuel from municipal
waste, with realization planned for 2020 as we continue to push
towards a recycling-based society.
Saving our ocean
Considering that 71 percent of the Earths surface is covered by
water, 96.5 percent of which is held in our oceans, its more than
a little concerning that roughly eight million tonnes of plastic is
dumped into these waters each year. According to Stemming the
Tide, a study released by the Ocean Conservancy and the
McKinsey Center for Business and Environment, just five countries
China, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines are
accountable for 60 percent of this waste.
At this rate, we would expect nearly one tonne of plastic for
every three tonnes of fish in our oceans by 2025 an unthinkable
number with drastic economic and environmental
consequences, says Nicholas Mallos, Director of Ocean
Conservancys marine debris program, giving the issue a far more
sinister perspective.

Eight million tonnes of plastic is dumped into the ocean every

year. Source: danikancil/Shutterstock
One company making waves in the conservation of our waters
is Adidas, a multinational corporation that designs and
manufactures fashionable sportswear.
A recent collaboration between the sportswear giant and a nonprofit organisation called Parley for the Oceans has resulted in the
worlds first performance sportswear made entirely from
recovered ocean plastics.
Since 2013, Parley for the Oceans has been reclaiming plastics
that have accumulated on the shores of the Maldives, passing it
to London-based designer Alexander Taylor, who then recycles it
into the iconic Adidas shoes.
A designer can be the agitator and the agent for change,
Taylor says. He must be entrepreneurial in spirit, seeking out
collaborators to reach amazing solutions which outperform and
offer truly viable alternatives to current methods.
The new Adidas footwear is made from 95 percent of ocean
plastic and 5 percent of recycled polyester. Approximately 7,000

pairs have already been made available to purchase, with plans

set to boost that number in 2017, when Adidas and Parley for the
Oceans plan to significantly hike sustainable production.
Investing in renewable energy

A coal-fired power plant smoking and steaming against the blue

sky. Source: dugdax/Shutterstock
According to Ecotricity, the global population consumes the
equivalent of 11 billion tonnes of oil in fossil fuels each and every
year. Approximately 29 countries worldwide source more than 90
percent of their energy from fossil fuels, including coal, oil,
petroleum, and natural gas all of which, are of course, finite
resources.
The World Atlas notes that rates of consumption are rapidly rising
within developing nations, particularly Singapore and India, over
the past 10 years.

With the threat of peak oil and a global petroleum crisis hanging
above like a foreboding shadow, we are in desperate need for
global companies to reshape their energy policies.
If we really want to help the worlds poorest families, we need to
find a way to get them cheap, clean energy, wrote Bill and
Melinda Gates in an open letter earlier this year. Cheap because
everyone must be able to afford it. Clean because it must not
emit carbon dioxide which is driving climate change.
Singtel, a telecommunications company based in Singapore, is
doing what it can to promote sustainable energy sources. Since
2009, when it drove the Pasir Ris Telephone Exchange a grid-tied
Photovoltaic System constructed by 192 photovoltaic panels
Singtel has employed several renewable energy sources in
Singapore, seeking to reduce its reliance on electricity from the
grid.
Since then, the company has supported the 2011 Bukit Timah Hill
Radio Station, powered by 100 solar panels and three sustainable
turbines; it has helped install a 30kWp Solar photovoltaic plant at
the Pulau Ubin Microwave Station; and it stood behind the 2014
Seletar Satellite Earth Station, complete with a solar tracker to
harness as much solar power as possible on a daily basis.
To address climate changewe look at mitigating our
greenhouse gas emissions by improving our energy performance
and efficiency, Singtel notes.
We are committed to reducing our operations contribution to
climate change and have invested in greening our networks and
in alternative energy.
Save water, save energy
According to the World Population Clock, the worlds current
population is growing at a rate of 1.13 percent per year,
amounting an annual population change of around 80 million.
Because of this, many parts of the world are experiencing
freshwater stress a factor thats only intensified by the effects of

climate change. When you think that we already owe two million
deaths a year to a lack of clean drinking water, the forecast that
half the worlds population will be living in areas of high water
stress is almost too dark to believe.
But fact is, there simply isnt enough water to go around.
Water and its use in industry, agriculture and the home is a
universal investment theme that offers opportunities across
diverse supply chains, industries and geographies, notes Fidelity
International.
Although water is a renewable source, the rate of water use and
demand growth is increasingly threatening to outpace the rate of
water renewalThe challenge for the global water industry is to
mitigate and manage the risks that can threaten water supply
One global mover seeking to do just this is the Intercontinental
Hotel Group (IHG), a multinational hospitality organisation with
more than 5,000 hotels across almost 100 countries.
Knowing that almost 40 percent of hotel water is typically used in
showers, toilets, taps and kitchens, the company has formed a
valuable partnership with the Water Footprint Network (WFN),
installing low-flow fixtures such as faucets, toilets and
showerheads to reduce water consumption.
Building on initial progress made in its 2013-17 target to reduce
overall water consumption by 12 percent per room, IHG works
alongside the WFN to relieve the worlds most water-

stressed regions.
South Yangon, Myanmar. A man and woman fill containers with
water from a lotus-filled pond during the El Nino-induced drought
in Burma in May 2016. Source: Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP.
And these are just a few key measures being taken by some of
the globes most dynamic companies to ensure the safety and
security of society, and our damaged planet. These initiatives are
promising to say the least, as they signal a shared belief that CSR
is no longer an ethical choice but rather a moral obligation. And
so is committing to the Paris Agreement.
But we are on the right track. On Monday, the Wall Street
Journal reported that a number of top companies in Asia the
leading source of global emissions and corporate leaders from
Australia to Japan, said they will stand firmly by their commitment
to the Paris accord, regardless of what path the U.S. under Trump
takes.
One of those leading the charge is Indonesia, the worlds top palm
oil producer, and home to plantations associated with illegal

deforestation and the slash-and-burn activities often blamed for

the regions annual haze problem.
The undertaking from this Southeast Asian nation, as well as that
of its regional neighbours, represent the light at the end of a long,
smog-filled tunnel towards the future of sustainability.
As Nur Masripatin, climate change director at Indonesias
Environment and Forestry Ministry, says: Each country must
contribute to the global effort.
https://asiancorrespondent.com/2016/12/climate-change-real-yesheres-world-fighting/
** Some corporations featured in this article are
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