climate

Local Businesses and Climate Change

Source: DEFRA 'Local and Regional CO2 Emissions Estimates for 2004', produced by AEA Energy & Environment for Defra: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/globatmos/galocalghg.htm Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO

The future prosperity of the city will be built in a world were the climate is changing. Articles in Hull in Print over the past few months have looked at the causes of climate change, this month we consider the impact on businesses of climate change.

Impact of business on climate change

Business has an important role to play in reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, which are causing the temperature of the earth to increase. These changes will have a significant effect on businesses whether they are office, manufacturing or service sector based. The graph right shows how business is by far the biggest contributor of CO2 emissions locally:

Challenges and opportunities

Business, like everyone else, not only affects climate change but will need to adapt to a changing environment. Some of the challenges that will be faced include:

• public concern and changes in consumer choices
• government pressure, regulations and interventions
• a changing market place with improvement in technology that allow for increased productivity and cutting of emissions at the same time
• climate change itself

Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases will inevitably be emitted from doing business, but there are some simple things that might make a big difference…

• have a walk around - take a walk around your business and find out what are the issues by talking to employees about ideas for saving energy
• keep a measure of what your using – keeping track of not just energy bills but thinking about how you move goods and how people travel to meetings, and on business all affects the bottom line as well as carbon emissions
• switch it off – keeping equipment left on when you’re not using it cost you money, and on average offices waste £6,000 each year just by leaving equipment on over weekends and bank holidays
• cut out waste – reductions in overproduction, improving design and recycling materials all help cut costs as well as emissions

All businesses are increasingly being expected to look at their carbon dioxide and other climate change impacts. Businesses that supply goods and services to larger companies will find that this expectation will continue to grow over the coming years.
Climate change though will offer some businesses the opportunity to grow though developing new products and services that are adapted to the changing climate. Want to find out more, why not visit the following web pages:

Hull Business Forum www.hullbusinessforum.com
Business Link Humber www.blhumber.co.uk
Carbon Trust Ltd: http://www.carbontrust.co.uk

Got a question about climate change? Email climate.change@hullcc.gov.uk or visit our web site at www.hullcc.gov.uk and click on Environment.