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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