Leading experts within WSP Environment & Energy have set up discussion topics in this blog area of our website. We would be delighted if you added your comments, questions and feelings to these blogs on the critical issues shaping a sustainable future for us as individuals, organisations, communities and countries.
As you will appreciate, we do exercise the right to approve comments before they are published, purely in terms of maintaining appropriate content on a professional business website.
December 23rd, 2009
Two weeks of chaotic and confusing haggling at December’s COP15 produced The Copenhagen Accord – a last minute agreement between the vast majority of the countries present.
Back in London, and representing WSP, I attended a post-COP15 briefing with British PM, Gordon Brown. We’ve also produced a briefing paper on what was agreed and what was not.
In our opinion at WSP, getting a deeply ambitious and legal text at COP15 was always going to be a challenge. The negotiating gaps were too large at the start of the conference. But in spite of global agreements, national Governments are already committing to a low carbon future. This is the immediate business challenge and opportunity.
Business should not believe that just because COP15 did not make a legal agreement, that there is no action on carbon. Far from it. January 2010 is now key to see what individual countries commit to by 2020. However, carbon and the impacts of climate change will continue to be one of the most significant strategic items for business. We are already seeing some carbon–intensive industries planning to locate to light enforcement regions. Higher global carbon emissions will also make climate change – and the need to plan for this changed climate – much more important for all organisations.
What’s your view of the outcome of COP15, and how much business itself needs to drive change in attitudes and change in emissions?
David Symons, Director of WSP
Posted in COP15 Climate Change Summit | 1 Comment »
December 8th, 2009
We undertook one of the most in-depth surveys in the UK into attitudes to living in a low carbon future. We surveyed 2,097 people and the results provide a great insight into the UK’s outlook.
45% of respondents state they don’t understand what a low carbon lifestyle means, and 22% said they didn’t know where to turn to for help. Do you think this is due to a lack of a progressive vision or simply a lack of public interest? Can these figures be improved, and if so, how? Who should be leading the change? 86% said if they were presented with a clear view of a low carbon future that they would be motivated to help achieve it – so it is beholden on companies like WSP to be part of creating a progressive and sustainable future.
Changing to a low carbon lifestyle will obviously cost money. Where do you think the money should come from? 64% think a green penalty tax should be aimed at businesses. Do you think this is fair or should everyone be doing their bit? And where should this money be used? Nearly two thirds want it spent on improving energy efficiency in existing homes, but do you think this is a key area?
Check out the full article and conclusions on our website from Tuesday 15 December and let us know on this blog what your views are on the findings.
David Symons
Posted in General | 2 Comments »
December 8th, 2009
PACT is our voluntary personal carbon trading programme where our staff sign up to track their personal travel and home energy consumption. If they’re under their allowance at the end of the year, we pay them. If they’re over (and very few are) they pay us (to a maximum of £100). It’s a great scheme and employees who participate tell us that it has made them more conscious of their carbon usage and consequently changed their behaviour
The programme has received great media interest, with national coverage in The Times, across the BBC network and even as far away as The Australian. With such positive feedback, from 2010 we’re spreading the programme to our employees worldwide; currently over 250 people have signed up.
We’ve also had several client organisations ask to join the scheme. We’re putting together a Pioneer Club, rolling out PACT to other companies. Would the programme take-off in your work environment? If you are interested in adopting PACT for your business or you have thoughts or queries about the programme, voice your views and questions here.
David Symons
Posted in General | No Comments »
December 7th, 2009
The US is in a state of flux on climate change. A combination of global forces is creating a ‘prefect storm’ that will dramatically alter the make up of the US energy sector. Three global forces affect the energy industry in the US:
- Sustained high oil prices
- Energy independence
- Climate change
The US experiences polar opposites. Some states encourage and implement change and others strongly oppose, arguing it will increase the burden on their already beleaguered economies, such as extractive industries or traditional manufacturing. But arguably companies can secure commercial advantage from the environmental agenda, through adoption of new technologies linked to business process development.
What do you think? Does the US have a narrow window of opportunity to take a leadership role in a new low-carbon economy? Do you think the ‘prefect storm’ is enough to push the US to significantly change their energy sector? Can business alone be a catalyst for change or do they need economy-wide regulation to encourage aggressive competitive strategies in this emerging market space? Discuss your opinions and thoughts here.
Chris Jones, Executive Vice President
Posted in US environmental practice | No Comments »
August 6th, 2009
The principles of product stewardship could drive manufacturers to look at the full value of their product throughout its life cycle and focus on leasing opportunities. So, you and I won’t buy a washing machine, we’ll lease a given number of washes and hand the machine back to the manufacturer to dispose of in an environmentally appropriate way.
For the manufacturer, the less energy and maintenance a product needs, the greater the profit during its operational phase. Adopt this model and a manufacturer is incentivised to deliver products that are efficient and reliable throughout their lifecycle, as their value to the manufacturer will no longer end once they have been sold. This business model satisfies a profit imperative as well as sustainable principles – two forces that are often seen as polar opposites.
But can this concept become a universal and acceptable business solution? Arguably it may be too difficult for every company to reconstruct their entire business model to convert their products into services. That means it’s still as important as ever to consider environmental improvements in both products and services.
Perhaps in some cases new service concepts may have a greater impact on the environment, for example could car sharing ‘services’ actually increase the use of cars instead of public transport?
‘Products as services’ is a valuable idea, but the question is whether it will become a mainstream concept. What’s your view?
Chris Kral, WSP
Posted in Product Stewardship | No Comments »
August 6th, 2009
What are the best communication techniques to really embed sustainability principles into an organisation?
Intranet’s, posters, internal bulletins etc are all part of the process. But is a really deep behavioural change programme the key to success? And is there actually a stand-off moment at the water cooler? Will staff really only engage and change behaviours if they feel their company has made some serious investments and commitments to acting responsibly?
Externally, we can all recognise Marks & Spencer’s Plan A, or observe Wal-Mart’s commitments on their website etc. But for organisations less in the public eye, how should their branding experts and marketing teams help them communicate their ‘green’ principles and create shareholder value by highlighting their achievements in reducing energy and water usage? How regularly do companies brief their branding experts to focus on this message?
Graham Munday, WSP
Posted in Corporate Strategy | 2 Comments »
July 27th, 2009
Cities are the most environmentally friendly model of housing humans. Did you know that it is predicted that cities will hold nearly 5 billion inhabitants worldwide by 2030?
That means the development and re-configuration of cities to behave sustainably is now more important than ever. I think that a set of global principles would be helpful for urban sustainability to flourish as this would provide all nations, developed and developing, with the necessary guiding principles to deliver their own sustainable cities.
Can this be achieved? Do you agree that effective national legislation and regional frameworks that adopt sustainable principles need to be at the heart of delivering sustainable cities? I would suggest that for them to be adopted worldwide there needs to be an effective collaborative approach, which includes national government, local government, individual City mayors, businesses, and the communities themselves.
- Dan Dowling, WSP
Posted in Sustainable Cities | 4 Comments »
July 24th, 2009
The sheer scale of the UK Government’s ambition in its Low Carbon Transition Plan, published on 15 July 2009, has to be welcomed. If they deliver on this plan it will be an exceptional achievement. Let’s just reflect on some of the headline stats: sourcing 30% of electricity in the UK from renewables in 11 years – that’s a huge step change in that area alone; and then there is the goal of reducing emissions by 34% from 1990 levels in the next 10 years.
It’s all deeply ambitious. I think it’s unlikely that the renewables target will be met without a Severn Barrage. At peak levels this could generate 8.6 gigawatts of electricity.
I’d be interested in your views on the Plan. Does the strategy ignore opportunities presented by other environmental issues such as water and wastewater management? Will UK planning regulations enable the funding available for onshore and offshore wind power to be truly realised? The Industrial Strategy provides a high level approach to how the UK can capitalise on the market for low carbon goods and services – will UK plc really maximise the opportunity, and how do we remove barriers?
- David Symons, WSP
Posted in Low Carbon | 1 Comment »
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