Civil & Corporate Strategies (DP IB Geography)
Revision Note
Role of Civil Society
Civil societies are not-for-profit, voluntary community-based groups, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
They cover a wide range of interests, including:
Environmental groups such as World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
Women's rights are advanced with the UN Women group
Amnesty International cares for human rights
The Red Cross is a humanitarian group
Climate change groups include Greenpeace, WWF and Friends of the Earth
Civil societies play an important role in pushing for new laws, programmes, policies, or strategies on climate change
They hold governments accountable for their
Commitments to reducing CO2 emissions
Lack of coordinated responses to climate change
National policymaking includes the poor and vulnerable
The WWF uses numerous strategies to help combat climate change. They:
Urge people to adopt a more eco-friendly lifestyle and use modern energy-saving technology
Pressure developed and developing countries to cut their CO2 emissions
Urge nations to ratify global agreements to cut fossil fuel use
Encourage 100% reliance on renewable energy sources by the year 2050
One-in-Five Challenge - WWF and the UK
Aim - to reduce business travel and improve their environmental impact by:
Saving time and money
Improving productivity
Improving work-life balance
Maintaining higher staff retention
Vodafone and One-in-Five Challenge
Company | Initiative | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
Vodafone UK |
£600,000 spent on video conferencing equipment in 2010 | In the first 5 months they spent 3,600 hours on video conferencing and travelled 320,000 km less In 1 year, Vodafone cut business flights by 3,749 Reduced CO2 emissions by 617 tonnes Reduced business flights by 2.5 million kilometres Reduced travel costs by 1/3 |
Corporate Change
Many US corporations are becoming interested in climate change mitigation plans
Chrysler, General Electric, General Motors, Rio Tinto, Shell, and Siemens are among 28 companies that formed the US Climate Action Partnership (USCAP) in 2007
The USCAP has pressed the government to make legally binding agreements that reduce CO2 emissions of 80% by 2050
Levi Strauss, Nike, Starbucks, and other companies formed the Business for Innovation, Climate, and Energy Policy as part of the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) in 2008
BICEP proposes a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions of 25% below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80% by 2050
But many US firms urge the government to block these restrictions
Many US citizens fear that such policies will lead to job losses and decline of economic competitiveness
Case Study - WWF & Ikea
Ikea and WWF are working on 6 climate projects together
Project | Outcome |
|---|---|
Climate Positive | Blanket project for all the climate projects that IKEA and WWF are working on It identifies and maps opportunities where IKEA can make positive climate impacts in its own emissions and how it can improve its impacts on others |
Promoting A Sustainable Life at Home | This aims to help customers change their behaviour through smart products that encourage a sustainable home lifestyle which reduces their own CO2 emissions |
Improving the IKEA food range | The project's goal is to develop ways to reduce CO2 emissions from the food IKEA sells in its restaurants and food markets. Along with providing nutritious and appealing meals |
Closing the Loops | This looks at the impacts of full recycling and how the systems can save resources, reduce CO2 emissions, and positively impact the environment Strategies to use recycled materials in new products and how to source products that can be reused, recycled or be returned to nature |
Sustainable Transportation of People (SToP) | Looks at ways to reduce the carbon footprint of customers and employees travelling to and from stores and the delivery of purchased products Encourages co-workers to commute together Own fleet and delivery services with electric vehicles Smart shopping uses the company website to check products and stock before driving to the store Improve availability for home shopping and click and collect |
Developing Climate Positive Opportunities for Suppliers | Aim is to improve energy efficiency at IKEA stores and its suppliers by removing barriers and promoting a low carbon supply chain |
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