| In a speech 25th June 2013, Obama went further than any previous US president in outlining a comprehensive strategy for dealing with climate change. Obama said the country is already paying price of inaction and backs nuclear energy and fracking in comprehensive strategy. |
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Consultation closes on 27 September 2013
The Government has published a consultation asking for views on how organisations can better promote responsible business to ‘unlock the benefits of ethical, social and environmental business practices’. Launched 27th June 2013, the consultation’s responses will provide the basis for a framework for action on corporate responsibility, which is due to published by the end of 2013. The Government states that it will set out the UK’s strategy for promoting corporate best practices that take account of environmental and social issues. This call for views seeks to gather your thoughts and ideas on aspects of corporate responsibility. It looks at what government, business and others should and could do in order to realise the full benefits that corporate responsibility can bring. It covers themes including:
The consultation can be downloaded here and is open until 27 September. Find out how governments can use smart regulation to increase corporate transparency and responsibility. Download >> 'Report or Explain': a smart EU Policy approach to non-financial information disclosure from → GRI Yes it’s World Sickle Cell Day, 19th June 2013, a day dedicated to doing the right thing to support people suffering from Sickle Cell Disorders and their families and carers. The recognition and awareness of sickle cell; the worlds most common genetic disorder, is much needed and deeply appreciated. It was first written about by one of our black champions of history Africanus Horton in 1874. Many consider it a black illness however it does impact the white population with one in every 450 white British people now being born with the sickle gene. Many suffer in silence and experience the vacuum of minimal knowledge to help them at school, work, access to public services, and even our nurses and doctors not understanding what is needed to help them. This needs to end. People that suffer from sickle cell are proud and made up of many fine attributes, we welcome those amongst us happy to be ambassadors by virtue of what they have achieved and how they can help others. Oh and to our friends free of the illness, give Blood, it sends a powerful message of responsibility. In 2008 the United Nations passed a resolution to raise awareness of sickle cell anaemia in recognition of the fact the illness is amongst the world’s foremost lethal genetic diseases. Please inform your audience, indeed the world, on the above simple message. I raise funds for the Sickle Cell Society, a UK national Charity that cares for those with Sickle Cell Disorders and their families. I will be running in the British 10K and raise funds at www.justgiving.com/sicklecellawarenesskg As far as I know I am the only person with the illness that has run in the event. Perhaps you can find more? That’s an interesting challenge! I hope you take the time to mention World Sickle Cell Day on your radio station, website and facebook pages. You certainly will be doing the right thing for a great cause. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) launched the latest version of its sustainability reporting guidance; called the G4, at the Amsterdam Stock Exchange in May. "The G4 Guidelines have increased user-friendliness and accessibility. They are presented in two interconnected parts: Links to part 1 and part 2. Internal links help the reader navigate through the documents. The emphasis on what is material encourages organizations to provide only information that is critical to their business and stakeholders. This means organizations and report users can concentrate on the sustainability impacts that matter, resulting in reports that are more strategic, more focused, more credible, and easier for stakeholders to navigate. AMONG MANY OTHER FEATURES, KEY ENHANCEMENTS IN G4 INCLUDE: New: up-to-date disclosures on governance, ethics and integrity, supply chain, anti-corruption and GHG emissions New: generic format for Disclosures on Management Approach New: two ‘in accordance’ criteria options, both focused on material Aspects New: GRI Content Index offering a transparent format to communicate external assurance Technically-reviewed content and clear disclosure requirements Detailed guidance on how to select material topics, and explain the boundaries of where material impacts occur Flexibility for preparers to choose the report focus Flexibility to combine with local and regional reporting requirements and frameworks Up-to-date harmonization and reference to all available and internationally-accepted reporting documents Overview tables, summaries and quick links to specific Guidelines’ components Complete Glossary, reference lists, and visual guidance from → GRI The latest evolution of the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Reporting Guidelines – G4 – was approved by GRI’s Board of Directors last month. The G4 Guidelines will be launched later this month at the Global Conference on Sustainability Reporting before an audience of 1500 leaders and practitioners from around the globe.
The GRI Guidelines enable all companies and organizations to report on their economic, environmental, social and governance performance. G4 has been significantly revised and enhanced in order to reflect important current and future trends in the sustainability reporting landscape. In addition to enhancing the relevance and quality of standalone sustainability reports, G4 will be a powerful framework for generating material sustainability information for inclusion in integrated reports. GRI Chief Executive Ernst Ligteringen said: “Today, sustainability reporting is rapidly becoming the norm for large companies in many parts of the world. Some 95 per cent of the world’s largest 250 companies now produce a sustainability report, and four out of five of these choose to use the GRI Guidelines. “As this strong upward trend in reporting continues, we will see many more companies of all sizes and sectors embracing transparency and accountability. Sustainability reporting will become a key enabler for an ever wider range of stakeholders, including investors, governments and market regulators. G4 is designed to be relevant to all these groups and to the many new reporters coming on stream.” Business and investor led coalition releases new corporate reporting model for consultation The global evolution of corporate reporting has taken another significant step forward with the release today of the Consultation Draft of the International Integrated Reporting <IR> Framework. The Framework creates the foundations for a new reporting model which will enable a business to provide a concise communication of how it creates value over time. The International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), which is launching the Framework, is issuing a worldwide invitation to stakeholders to respond to the consultation. Fifteen events are being held around the world to launch the Framework, six of which are being hosted by stock exchanges. The IIRC was established in 2010 and today has a presence in 25 countries globally. Businesses involved in its work include: The Coca-Cola Company, China Light and Power, The Clorox Company, National Australia Bank, Unilever and Hyundai. The 50+ institutional investors that have been involved in shaping and testing the Framework include: Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Natixis, APG and Norges Bank. " Europe plays a pivotal role in driving sustainability disclosure at a global level. Recently, the European Parliament took steps to progress the implementation of the EU strategy 2011-2014 for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), by adopting two European parliament resolutions on CSR. This advancement by the European Parliament marks an important development in government activity around corporate transparency and CSR policy in Europe. Sustainability reporting has been recognised as being key to achieving the EU’s sustainable growth objectives and there appears to be growing consensus amongst stakeholders that a flexible ‘report or explain’ approach to sustainability reporting, based on the use of internationally-recognised frameworks, is what is needed to increase comparability and transparency among companies. On 6 March, GRI attended a high-level event at the European Parliament on ‘Transparency, reporting and disclosure on non-financial information: the implementation of the European Union’s strategy on Corporate Social Responsibility’. The event brought together representatives from the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, national governments, and a wide variety of stakeholders from different sectors, to discuss the future of CSR, sustainability reporting and the disclosure of non-financial information in the EU. → Press release Photo by Bob Thomas/Getty Images. Sustainability professionals have largely paid tribute to the environmental legacy left by Baroness Margaret Thatcher in British politics following her death today at the age of 87. BBC's environment & energy analyst Roger Harrabin wrote that Thatcher had "legitimised the environment as a matter of mainstream political concern". Thatcher was the first to warn openly of the dangers of climate change in a speech to the UN in 1989, where she spoke of the "vast increase in the amount of carbon dioxide reaching the atmosphere... The result is that change in future is likely to be more fundamental and more widespread than anything we have known hitherto." Thatcher went on to set up the Met Office Hadley Centre for climate prediction and research in 1990, one of the UK's leading specialists in this field. Much of its work now informs policy and legislation. Jonathon Porritt, is quoted as saying "It wasn't until Mrs Thatcher went into her short-lived green period that things really took off (for the green movement). "Before Mrs Thatcher started to talk about the ozone layer and climate change, lots of people said: 'These green issues are just for weirdos treehugging. But if Mrs Thatcher's saying something like that - there must be something in it'." Her voice was arguably instrumental in taking the issues towards mainstream and motivating our understanding today. Echoing the views of Harrabin "Her intervention consolidated the issue in the media and provoked many organisations into formulating policies on the environment." In later years, she appeared to backtrack on her earlier views and took a more sceptical approach by questioning some of the science behind global warming. The pleasing aspect of the discussions is the level of interest, the pace setters in sustainability are already doing what we all already know is the right thing not only to do, but to aspire to achieve. Never Give up on Transforming The Future. Climatic records are being broken daily, challenging times need challenging responses. from → Total Eco Management Ltd. |
AuthorNicole Lawler NEW RELEASE
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