Archive for November, 2013

Global Sustainability Communicators (GSC)

Posted by Ken on November 24, 2013
Posted under Express 202

Global Sustainability Communicators (GSC)

Global Sustainability Communicators – GSC: These are the people around the world, mainly working through media organisations large and small, who effectively communicate news and information on developments in the sustainable world – or more correctly – what’s needed to make the world more sustainable. They cover climate change policy and action, corporate and social responsibility, clean energy and clean tech, eco business and green purchasing, planetary innovations and beneficial technologies, waste management and recycling, environmental and conservation efforts the world over. This list is a work in progress and we will maintain a master listing on our ABC Carbon and SASA websites. We have 40 on the list and welcome recommendations for additions. Take note that I have placed myself on this list in preference, having removed myself from the 100 Global Sustain Ability Leaders list! :

1. Astley, David: As Executive Chairman of the Media Alliance, he launched in 2011 a regional campaign to raise public awareness of climate change issues under the tagline ‘Redraw the Line’. Piloted initially in the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. David was the Secretary-General of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) prior to joining The Media Alliance – a position that he held from July 2002 to April 2010. David started his career as a print media journalist in the UK and moved into the electronic media whilst working in Australia where he managed several regional television and radio networks, including six years as Managing Director of two listed media companies. www.mediaalliance.asia

2. Bateman, Louise: A business journalist with over 20 years reporting, writing and editing experience and now specialising in sustainability and green business issues, Louise founded GreenWise – greenwisebusiness.co.uk – the independent online publisher helping UK businesses move to a low carbon economy, in 2008. My latest venture is Wise Up Media, a content marketing agency to help business in the green sector market themselves more effectively through corporate storytelling and micro-publishing. She is a Director at  the Sixty Mile Publishing Co Ltd. www.60mile.co.uk

3. Brown, Paul: Joint editor of Carbon News Network, Paul covers major events for the “free, ready-to-use factual service that brings the latest news of climate change science”. It aim is to help both scientists and journalists to overcome the difficulties they face in reporting the vital facts about climate change. The service is entirely free of charge. It is run by four volunteers, all veteran journalists who have covered climate change for many years for leading British newspapers and broadcasters and are now freelancing. Building on their contacts and experience, they offer science an unbiased window to the world, while for journalists they offer news stories about climate change. www.climatenewsnetwork.net

4. Castle, Sally: Marketing Director, Climate Friendly, Australia,  Sally has been there for over three years, following a career in Not for Profuit organisations and in fund-raising, including Youth Off the Streets, the National Heart Foundation and the Centenary Institute.  She leads the work in communicating the critical importance of sustainability and climate change action, engaging with multi-national corporations, governments, small and medium businesses and individual consumers.  She brings to life the impacts that truly sustainable businesses deliver – not only social, environmental and community benefits, but also real commercial value for themselves and their communities.  www.climatefriendly.com

5. Chandran, Kannan: Journalist and editor of many magazines, books and articles on various topics, Kannan created a storm with his award-winning STORM Magazine, started 12 years ago. He also produces SINGAPORE for the Singapore International Foundation. He was previously group editor of The Peak in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Marie Claire in Singapore and Malaysia. His sustainability contribution goes beyond covering the subject in many forms in his magazine, to organising events with a sustainability focus, entitled “Keep It Going”. www.storm.sg

6. Cheam, Jessica:  The founder and editor of the website eco-business.com, Jessica makes sure it provides news and views for Asia Pacific’s sustainable business community. She continues to write for the Straits Times. She’s the author of the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources’ new book titled “Forging a Greener Tomorrow: Singapore’s environmental journey from slum to eco-city”, which describes Singapore’s transformation from a bustling, but polluted port with slum-like conditions into a high-tech modern city that is globally recognized for being clean and green. She has won a global journalism award at the Earth Journalism Awards, in Copenhagen in December 2009. www.eco-business.com

7. Chua, Grace: Environment correspondent Grace Chua from The Straits Times, who has been named Singapore’s winner at this year’s Siemens Green Technology Journalism Award. Her commentary piece, “Towards a robust clean air strategy”, covered a wide spectrum of causes and effects of air pollution. With more than three years’ worth of experience in the newsroom, focusing on environment and science, Grace is regularly seen at all the events around sustainability, energy, the environment and has strong analysis, writing and communication skills. She is particularly interested in writing about issues at the intersection of science, economics and policy. www.straitstimes.com

8. Clark, Anna:  President of EarthPeople, based in Dallas, Texas, US and the author of “Green, American Style”. Previously a management consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers and IBM before becoming vice president of a public relations firm.  She founded EarthPeople in 2005 and has helped clients from non-profits and school districts to municipalities and Fortune 500 corporations to achieve cost savings and brand loyalty through profitable sustainability strategies. www.earthpeopleco.com

9. Confino Jo:  Executive editor of the Guardian and chairman and editorial director of Guardian Sustainable Business (GSB). He also advises Guardian News & Media and Guardian Media Group on their sustainability strategies. A former financial reporter on the Daily Telegraph, he has been with the Guardian for 20 years, where he helped develop The Guardian’s internal sustainability initiatives, is providing overall direction for the new GSB US platform, which The Guardian intends to launch in other regions of the world in the years ahead. www.theguardian.com

10. Cook, John: Skeptical Science is maintained by John Cook, the Climate Communication Fellow for the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland. He studied physics at the University of Queensland, Australia. After graduating, he majored in solar physics in his post-grad honours year. As he is not a climate scientist, the science presented on Skeptical Science is not his own but taken directly from the peer reviewed scientific literature. There is no funding to maintain Skeptical Science other than Paypal donations – it’s run at personal expense. John Cook has no affiliations with any organisations or political groups. www.skepticalscience.com

11. Dunn, Mike:  Co-founder and managing editor of CleanBiz.Asia, Mike has over 25 years’ experience in the Asia Pacific region, beginning his career as a journalist and then moving on to the field of corporate communications. He has sound knowledge of a wide range of industries, including technology, engineering, financial services, consumer products and public affairs. A Canadian, Dunn has always held a keen interest in the areas of environmental protection and sustainability. CleanBiz Asia acts as an information clearing house on sustainable business practices, events, insights and initiatives which are sourced from a variety of professional journalists and expert contributors. www.cleanbiz.asia

12. Edis, Tristan: When appointed Editor of Climate Spectator in February 2012, Tristan admitted he had been closely involved in business and policy issues related to reducing carbon emissions since 2002 when he joined the Australian Government’s Greenhouse Office (now the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency). Later he joined the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, which subsequently became the Clean Energy Council, worked for Ernst & Young, before joining the Grattan Institute in 2009. Climate Spectator is a daily e-newsletter coming out of Melbourne, Australia. www.businessspectator.com.au/climate

13. Fogarty, David: Best known for his work at Reuters for nearly 20 years as a senior editor and reporter, most recently as a Climate Change Correspondent, Asia. Now an independent media consultant and director of Falling Apples Consultancy in Singapore, where he helps clients with advice on media strategy and engagement, specialist writing and editing, drawing on his background as a climate change specialist, extensive contacts and years as a senior desk editor. Besides writing some land-mark special reports for Reuters, he was responsible for organising regular Clean Tech Forums bringing together experts and those wanting to learn about clean tech opportunities in Asia. www.fallingapplesconsultants.com

14. Hardcastle, Jessica Lyons: Editor, Environmental Leader, Jessica has worked as a writer and editor at newspapers, magazines and online publications for more than a decade covering business, green technology, renewable energy and other environmental issues. She has written for Environmental Leader, Energy Manager Today, Solar Novus Today, Novus Light Technologies Today and Silicon Valley Business Journal. Environmental Leader is the leading daily trade publication keeping corporate executives fully informed about energy, environmental and sustainability news. www.environmentalleader.com

15. Hickson, Ken: For six years, he has produced of the fortnightly e-newsletter, abc carbon express and his fifth book is just out, entitled “Race for Sustainability”. He is based in Singapore where he also manages Sustain Ability Showcase Asia (SASA) and a communications consultancy H2PC Asia, which has been producing content for the E2 Singapore website for the National Environment Agency (NEA). He is a Governor of WWF Australia and author of the climate change issues and opportunities reference book “The ABC of Carbon”. He is also Chairman of the Green Purchasing Network in Singapore and Regional Director Asia for Be Sustainable. www.sustain-ability-showcase.com

16. Huffington, Ariana: The chair, president, and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, she is a nationally syndicated columnist and the author of thirteen books. In May 2005, she launched Huffington Post, a news and blog site that quickly became one of the most widely-read, linked to, and frequently-cited media brands on the Internet. In 2012, the site won a Pulitzer Prize for national reporting. In 2006, and again in 2011, she was named to the Time 100, Time Magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people. She serves on several boards, including EL PAÍS, PRISA, the Center for Public Integrity, and the Committee to Protect Journalists. www.huffingtonpost.com

17. Hurry, Jovin: A young writer who specialises in asking the right questions at the right time, Jovin probes entrepreneurs at how they negotiate core sustainability issues, in a world of turbulent markets, limited resources, social disparities and structural faults. He has spent the last 15 years studying, living and working in Asia and Europe, focussing on sustainability, business and learning and development. Jovin completed two Masters in Sweden (Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability and Entrepreneurship & Innovation) and finished a Bachelor in Singapore. He has chaired, facilitated and organised a number of events on sustainability in Asia and Europe. www.soaps4lives.com

18. Jamal, Karen: With nearly two decades of experience as a communications specialist, Karen Jamal has built a successful consultancy, KJ Communications, and offers communications strategy and execution, media management, writing and editing services to a wide variety of clients. Karen has a proven track record with both small and large organisations, and across a broad cross-section of industries. She is best known for her work promoting the Green Building Council of Australia and the World Green Building Council. www.kjcommunications.com

19. Kumar, Satish: Resurgence & Ecologist editor-in-chief Satish has brought together the two former magazines into one, offering print and online access. In 1973 Satish settled in the United Kingdom taking up the post of editor of Resurgence magazine, a position he has held ever since, making him the UK’s longest-serving editor of the same magazine. In his new book, “Soil Soul Society”, he calls for a new green movement, one that integrates ecological sustainability, personal spirituality and social justice, which is more than capable of becoming mainstream. The Resurgence Trust publishes Resurgence & Ecologist magazine to promote ecological sustainability, social justice and spiritual values. www.resurgence.org

20. Kashiwagi, Nobuko: Nobuko is the chief correspondent of UbrainTV and is the Director in charge of business relationships and communications. Nobuko is Japanese and grew up in South Africa and New Zealand. She graduated from Waseda University and worked as an intern for Mr. Yasutoshi Nishimura, current Senior Vice-Minister of Japan’s Cabinet Office. From 2008 – 2010, she was involved in the UK-Japan Next Generation Energy Project. She is also a master of Japanese traditional dance – “nihonbuyo” – under the name ‘Fukumi Bando’. www.ubraintv.com

21. Leadbetter, Simon: Founder of Blue and Green Tomorrow, has held senior roles at The Daily Telegraph and in 2004 founded a marketing agency. As Chief Marketing Officer for two VC-backed start-ups,  launched the online platform Cleantech Intelligence (which underpinned The Guardian’s Cleantech 100) and StrategyEye Cleantech. Most recently, he was Marketing Director of Emap and the founder of Blue & Green Tomorrow, which  wants to help grow businesses that balance the needs of the planet, its people and prosperity. On this site you’ll find insights into how to invest responsibly, travel sustainably, shop ethically and use cleaner sources of energy. www.blueandgreentomorrow.com

22. Lopes, Lesley: Editor of Green Lifestyle Magazine, has worked on magazines covering everything from home entertainment, gardening and food to science and parenting Published in Sydney since November 2006, Green Lifestyle Magazine is an eco-living print title that is positive, practical and evidence-based, showing mainstream solutions to living a lower-impact lifestyle. It is published on paper that is 100% post-consumer recycled stock with proven sustainable environmental accreditations and is produced by Nextmedia Pty Ltd. G-Online is the daily content site of the award-winning Magazine, described as Australia’s #1 consumer sustainability title. www.greenlifestylemag.com.au

23. Makower, Joel:  Chairman and Executive Editor, GreenBiz Group, he is a well-respected voice on business, the environment, and the bottom line. As a writer and strategist on corporate sustainability practices and clean technology, he has helped a wide range of companies align environmental goals with business strategy. He is author of several books on business and sustainability, including Strategies for the Green Economy. From 1991 to 2005, Joel was editor of The Green Business Letter, an award-winning monthly newsletter on corporate environmental strategy. The Associated Press has called Joel “the guru of green business practices.” www.greenbiz.com

24. Marchetti, Nino: As founder of EarthTechling and its editor in chief, Nino is a green technology journalist with a passion for the environment. Previous to this, he had a career as a personal technology writer, having been published online and in print at CNET, Laptop, PC World, About.com and others. EarthTechling describes itself as “a clever mix of technologists and environmentalists”, a journalistic movement with a clearly defined goal of bringing consumers to the intersection of technology and environmental advancement. It does this by elevating stories and thought leaders in an effort to promote environmentally-focused technologies readers should be thinking about.  www.earthtechling.com

25. Murray, James: As Editor of Business Green, James runs the business web site which offers companies the latest news and best-practice advice on how to become more environmentally responsible, while still growing the all-important bottom line. Besides The Week in Green – A round up the week’s top headlines, issues and opinions – there is also BusinessGreen Daily, BusinessGreen Technology, BusinessGreen Renewables and BusinessGreen Policy. Formerly Management Editor for IT Week, James has been with Business Green, published by Incisive Media, since October 2007. He is also a regular blogger. www.businessgreen.com

26. Naguran, Mallika:  An experienced sustainability consultant and communications professional with more than 20 years of work experience in the private and public sectors, Mallika has held senior managerial roles in local firms and MNCs, specifically in publishing, public relations and marketing communications. In 2008 she founded Gaia Discovery, Asia’s not-for-profit online publication on the environment and heritage, supported by expert advisor and contributor panels. In 2009, she established Gaia Ideas, a consultancy arm on sustainability matters.  www.gaiadiscovery.com

27. O’Neill, Tamsin: Editor of Green Magazine, Australia`s leading architecture magazine focused on inspiring sustainable house and garden designs. Online and in print, each issue of Green showcases the most interesting and creative sustainable designs from architects and landscapers around Australia and internationally. Tamsin is an experienced journalist in the green space, previously Editor, Director and Managing Editor at Green Press, including green/Treadlie Magazines. www.greenmagazine.com.au

28. Parkinson, Giles: Founded by Giles – a journalist of 30 years’ experience – RenewEconomy is an independent website, updated daily and with a free daily newsletter. Giles is a former Business Editor and Deputy Editor of the Australian Financial Review, a former columnist for The Bulletin magazine and The Australian, and the founder and former editor of Climate Spectator. He says that there seems little doubt that the Australian economy – indeed the world’s – is about to go through one of the most dramatic transformations since the industrial revolution. www.reneweconomy.com.au

29. Patrick, Katie: Katie is one of Australia’s most prominent technology entrepreneurs and environmental spokes women. She is the founder of www.greenpag.es and author of ‘The Counter Economy’. Katie studied Environmental and Civil Engineering at RMIT and began her career as an environmental project manager for commercial and residential construction projects at APP and a sustainable design engineer at Lincolne Scott. She founded Green Pages Publishing at age 25, from her bedroom in Sydney and quickly grew the company to become Australia’s leading green publishing and digital media companies, employing over 15 full time people. www.thegreenpages.com.au

30. Perinotto, Tina: As Publisher and Managing Editor of the Fifth Estate, Tina makes sure it remains Australia’s leading source of news, views and information on sustainable property and the built environment. It is published daily online and distributed as a free weekly newsletter with key highlights of coverage. Prior to Fifth Estate, Tina was with the Australian Financial Review and previously Managing Editor, Property Australia magazine for Property Council of Australia. www.thefifthestate.com.au

31. Phillips, Sara:  Editor of the ABC environmental portal, Sara has been an environment journalist and editor for eleven years. Learning the trade on environmental trade publications, she went on to be deputy editor of ‘Cosmos’ magazine and editor of ‘G’, a green lifestyle magazine. She has won several awards for her work including the 2006 Reuters/IUCN award for excellence in environmental reporting and the 2008 Bell Award for editor of the year. www.abc.net.au/environment/

32. Prakash, Bhavani: Bhavani Prakash is a speaker, trainer and writer, and has given talks and conducted workshops on Sustainability and various environmental issues. Eco WALK the Talk was founded in 2008 by Bhavani Prakash, who is an environmental activist based in Singapore.  She has a Masters in Financial Economics from University of London and a Diploma in Management from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, India Author of the book “50 Ways to Make your home Eco Friendly”. www.ecowalkthetalk.com

33. Rochlin, Lucy: Editor, Ecogeneration, which is committed to communicating the clean energy industry’s news, promoting its achievements and advancing discussion and debate. Lucy oversees all platforms for the magazine – including online, events, and print and leads a tight-knit team of journalists. Published 6 times a year as a print edition, it includes featured and specially commissioned articles, low-emission and renewable energy industry news, policy and regulation information, events and reviews. Magazine publisher Great Southern Press combines traditional publishing techniques with modern innovations to deliver both hard-copy magazines and on-line news and information. www.ecogeneration.com

34. Shannon, Laura: Is front and centre of Eco TV, a digital media platform offering content from a diverse range of sources – including its network partners, such as Keep Australia Beautiful, The Banksia Foundation and Conservation Volunteers Australia. It is part of Carbon Market Pty Ltd which manages and operates five business units including Eco Voice, Eco News, Eco TV & Eco Daily. www.ecoTV.com.au

35. Shell, Ana: Founder of Ana Shell Media, Ana is an environmentalist, venture businesswoman, the owner of the private Fund of entrepreneurs-inventors known as “Territory of Shell” and founder of the Ana Shell Media Press. Ana observed a world where oil, gas and money rule. These natural resources help the United States and the European Union print money. All the other countries, being apart from the scheme ”natural resources = money,” are considered third world countries. All people live in debt to nature, because the main volume of energy is produced from oil, gas or coal. This will continue until an alternative power becomes available at a price three times less expensive than existing systems. www.anashell.com

36. Sherwood, Sarah-Jane: A passionate sustainability communicator, Sarah-Jane founded Communicate Blue with a dream of contributing towards a brighter future.  She has an 11-year history of working in marketing communications, PR, employee and other stakeholder engagement, media relations, marketing strategy and business development. Sarah-Jane has worked across FMCG, technology, charity and professional services sectors on a wide range of high profile campaigns. She has collaborated with clients in the corporate and financial sectors to help them improve and benefit from their sustainability agenda, in both a marketing and business development capacity.  www.communicate-blue.com

37. Subhadra, Pavathy Dr: Manager Publishing of Roof and Façade, a magazine that offers a Framework for Sustainability. Dr Parvathy Subhadra holds a Ph.D. Degree in Agricultural Science and has over two years of experience in trade magazine publishing in Asia. Her professional duties include researching building and construction industry content for use in the company’s various publications. www.roofandfaçade.com

38. Tay, Eugene: Founder and Editor of Green Business Times and Director of Green Future Solutions. Eugene previously worked for the National Environment Agency on waste minimisation and recycling, and taught ecotourism at the Ngee Ann Polytechnic. He has a Master’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the Nanyang Technological University and a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering with a Minor in Technopreneurship from the National University of Singapore. His websites include: Asia is Green, Green Business Singapore, Zero Waste Singapore, Low Carbon Singapore, Greenstore, and Save Food Cut Waste. www.greenfuture.sg

39. Tunas, Devisanthi: Architect and researcher at the Centre for Sustainable Asian Cities, Santhi is also the driving force behind Green Asia Force is a digital platform that seeks to raise awareness on sustainable practice among building owners, building practitioners, students, green-inclined individuals and for those who simply cares to learn more. Green Asia Force focuses on suitable sustainable practice in the tropical regions. www.greenasiaforce.com

40. Wesoff, Eric: Prior to joining Greentech Media, Eric Wesoff founded Sage Marketing Partners in 2000 to provide sales and marketing-consulting services to venture-capital firms and their portfolio companies in the alternative energy and telecommunications sectors. As Editor-in-Chief of Greentech Media, he maintains it as a business to business site covering daily news and market analysis about the end-to-end greentech market. Its audience is targeted toward business executives and managers who have purchasing and decision making power: the thought leaders of the fast moving greentech economy. www.greentechmedia.com

 

The first compilation of the Global Sustainability Communicators list, compiled by Ken Hickson for ABC Carbon and Sustainability Showcase Asia – SASA. Published with the Issue 202 abc carbon express 24 November 2013. The master list will be updated – and suggestions are welcome for additions and changes – and will be maintained to appear on our two websites:  www.abccarbon.com and www.sustain-ability-showcase.com

 

 

 

Profile: Not One but 100 Global Sustain Ability Leaders

Posted by Ken on November 24, 2013
Posted under Express 202

Published in ABC Carbon Express issue 202

Profile: Not One but 100!

Yes, finally the 2013 list of 100 Global Sustain Ability Leaders is out. See if you’re on the list. Who has made it and who hasn’t. Some surprises. Selected from nominations and recommendations received from everywhere, this year’s leaders’ list covers the full spectrum: from large commercial organisations, NGOs, through consultancies large and small to individuals who are making their mark in their own country, city or community. Read More

This, the third 100 Global Sustain Ability Leaders list, which has been devised and produced by Ken Hickson, Chairman/CEO of Sustain Ability Showcase Asia and ABC Carbon, is published in this the 202nd issue of abc carbon express (24 November 2013).

Nominations were invited through and received from readers around the world. There is purposely no ranking of individuals on the list, which are shown in alphabetical order based on surnames or family names.

Ken Hickson takes full responsibility for the final selection and admits that many of those finalists are personally known to him and/or he has seen them in action, observed their good works and read their fine words.

“We have also done our best to keep the leader’s details updated,” Ken says, “but this has been  a time consuming process , so if anyone is aware where there are cases off out-dated or incorrect information, please provide us with the latest details and we will correct our master list.“

There could well be many deserving ‘leaders’ not on the list, but either they were not nominated or brought to the attention of the ‘selection committee’, or their deeds have not been made known outside their community, city country or company. There have been some changes to the list in 12 months. While some have slipped off the 100 slots, new ones have come into their own. Those who feel aggrieved they are not on the list – or know someone who should be – please make sure nominations are made in time for the 2014 list.

One significant change this year – some “leaders”,  perhaps better known as sustainability communicators, journalists, editors and the like, have been purposely taken off this list for the purpose of creating a new and additional  listing of what we are calling the “Global Sustainability  Communicators” – or GSC. The initial listing of forty names – people and the media and/or organisations they represent – can be found under Last Word at the end of this newsletter.

For now, this is SASA’s best effort in identifying and honouring 100 people around the world – at home and abroad – who have provided leadership in the field of sustainability:
 

1.       Affleck, Andrew: Managing Partner of Armstrong Asset Management, an independent clean energy asset manager, committed to investing into clean energy assets that leave a long term positive impact on society and the natural environment. In November 2013, the fund was able to surpass its initial target of US$150 million, reaching final close of $164 million, signing up 10 investors from Europe, North America and Asia. The 10-year fund will provide development capital to small-scale renewable energy and resource efficiency projects in Southeast Asia. In all he has 23 years of asset management and investment banking experience in the Asian region. www.armstrongam.com

2.       Aguiriano, Juan: President, Asia-Pacific, DuPont Sustainable Solutions Worldwide, he makes sure the company’s triple bottom line approach produces results for clients worldwide, in industries such as energy, mining and metals and chemicals. The customized solutions help maximize safety, operational excellence and efficiencies, environmental management, develop people capabilities and culture and establish best-in-class process technologies. www.dupont.com

3.       An, Esther: Head of CSR for City Development Limited (CDL) Singapore, which is a leader in sustainability in Singapore through its properties and businesses. She has been actively promoting sustainability and corporate social responsibility in the organisation and outside for 15 years. She has set standards and provided a professional example to colleagues within CDL and Singapore Compact and in the wider community.  www.cdl.com.sg

4.       Baggs, David: Co-founder Ecospecifier, Technical Director & Principal Consultant, and Chartered Architect. A vocal advocate, educator and guide in a world ready to be greener, he challenges the way for new frontiers of sustainable design to be realised. He is a multi-award winning chartered architect, sustainability, energy-efficiency and eco-materials consultant with over 30 years’ experience in sustainable development. He is Technical Director of Global GreenTag Pty Ltd, an associated eco-product life-cycle assessment certification company. www.ecospecifier.com

5.       Baggs, Mary-Lou: When GreenTag was just selected as a finalist in two categories of the Banksia Awards in Australia this year, Mary Lou was announced as a finalist in the CEO category. Under her direction Ecospecifier has grown to become one of the world’s most recognised and respected sources of eco-product information and sustainability knowledge and the recipient of numerous major awards. She was the driving organisational and management force behind the creation, formation, financial and other non-technical aspects of Ecospecifier that turned it into a million-dollar turnover business inside six years.  www.ecospecifier.com

6.       Bayliss, Caroline: Currently on a sabbatical after serving The Climate Group for just over 2 years as its Australia Director, Caroline was also Director of the Voluntary Carbon Markets Association and previously Director of Global Sustainability at RMIT University in Melbourne. She worked in collaboration with the Victorian EPA to produce the first Carbon Offset Guide. Caroline was also previously Deputy Director of the United Nations Global Compact Cities Programme. www.theclimategroup.org

7.       Birkeland, Janis.  Former Professor of Architecture, Queensland University of Technology, now Professor of Sustainable Architecture at University of Auckland, New Zealand, Janis is an urban designer and author of “Design for Sustainability” and “Positive Development”. Janis has worked consecutively as artist, advocacy planner, architect, urban designer, city planner and attorney in San Francisco before entering academia in Australia and New Zealand. She has authored over 100 publications on built environment and sustainability and wrote the highly successful and widely adopted Design for Sustainability (Earthscan, 2002). www.creative.auckland.ac.nz

8.       Blake, Dr Martin: Sustainability and CSR guru, he is the driving force behind a global sustainability movement Be Sustainable. Headquartered in Singapore, it incorporates services covering Advisory and Consulting, Communications, Integrative Design, Intermediary Services, Food, Labs and Research. At Royal Mail in the UK, he implemented far-reaching plans which lead to greater energy efficiency and sustainability, utilising carbon abatement measures to save millions of pounds and win European awards. Regularly on the sustainability speaking circuit throughout Asia Pacific, he is director and advisor to many businesses in the sustainability sectors. www.besustainable.sg

9.       Blanchett, Cate: Oscar winning actress, star of dozens of international movies and stage roles, co-director of Sydney Theatre Company (until end 2012), which she has led on an environmental and social sustainability program. This included the Greening of The Wharf project which transformed the beautiful, heritage-listed Wharf building into an inspirational example of environmental leadership. She was also involved in the launch of the strategic partnership between Lend Lease and Sydney Theatre Company (STC) to focus on developing programs that facilitate awareness and engagement in the creation of sustainable futures. www.sydneytheatre.com.au

10.   Boatman, Tony: Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Indela, Tony has twenty years of business leadership experience. Currently entrepreneur in Residence with Young & Rubicam, he founded The Indela with the principle goal of creating a set of tools to assist corporations in quantifying their triple bottom line and committed to solving the sustainability challenge. Passionate about building sustainable businesses, he wants to create, invest in and incubate ideas that harness technology to exploit emerging opportunities. In Jan 2008 Tony was appointed District Manager, Singapore, for Al Gore’s NGO the Climate Project, part of the Alliance for Climate protection. www.theindela.com

11.   Bourne, Greg: Chair of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), he is Ex WWF CEO Australia & Director Carnegie Corporation. Greg was awarded the Centenary Medal for services to the environment and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Western Australia for services to international business. In January 1999 he became Regional President – BP Australasia. Greg was appointed CEO WWF-Australia in October 2004 the position he held until June 2010. www.arena.gov.au

12.   Branson, Sir Richard: “Our goal must be to develop responsible renewable fuels and grow production from small batches to millions or even billions of barrels,” said Sir Richard Branson, Founder of Carbon War Room and Founder of Virgin Group, on the start of a global campaign for renewable jet fuels. Just one of his many initiatives to make the transport industry and properties more energy efficient and sustainable. www.carbonwarroom.com

13.   Bukmanis, Adrian: He set up PowerSave Solutions in May 2011 and now manages the Singapore business of the Hong-Kong based Energenz. “The challenge of putting something right appeals to me and that is how I came to establish a company specialising in energy efficiency”. Through his work with Energenz and his previous experience in Australia, China and the United Kingdom, Adrian fully understands the role that energy efficiency plays in terms of sustainability. www.energenz.com

14.   Bun, Mara: CEO Green Cross Australia since October 2007, Mara was born and raised in Brazil and studied and worked in the US before moving to Australia in 1991. She also serves as Non-executive Director of the Australian Ethical Investment and Advisor to the Brazil Foundation. She brings 20 years of community and business experience to Green Cross Australia – from Morgan Stanley, The Wilderness Society, Greenpeace Australia, Australian Consumer’s Association (CHOICE), Bush Heritage Australia, Macquarie Bank, CSIRO and CANNEX. www.greencrossaustralia.org

15.   Carpenter, Sidonie: Landscape Architect and Horticulturalist running Green Canopy for the past 14 years in Sydney & Brisbane. Awarded an ISSI / Pratt Foundation Fellowship in 2006, allowing her to travel to study the design, implementation & benefits of green roofs and living walls. President of Green Roofs Australia, a not for profit association started to support & provide effective strategies for the design & implementation of green roofs and walls in Australia.  www.greencanopy.com.au

16.   Cassels, Richard:  Founder Climate Leadership Australia, archaeologist & former GM of Queensland Museum. Through Climate Leadership, Richard has embarked on community education and lobbying for action for Australia to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and lecturing on the (long) history of human sustainability and “unsustainability”. A Governor of WWF Australia and previously an Honorary Research Fellow at the Queensland Museum in Environmental History and Sustainable Futures, he is a popular public speaker, passionate about the need for all citizens to know the environmental history of humankind. www.climateleadership.com.au

17.   Cheng, Mark: Starting the social-environment movement in Asia when he was 13, Mark was dismayed at the lack of green education in Singapore, so co-founded Avelife in 2008 with a small group of youths. In 2011, Mark started Green Prints, an environment social enterprise, which is renowned as the first exclusive green printer in Asia-Pacific, which also supplies and produces sugarcane paper, made from agricultural sugarcane waste and relying entirely on wind energy. Mark also founded Green Brunei, a non-profit that provides free environmental resources and initiates community-led environment campaigns and projects. www.greenprints.sg

18.   Chu, Steven: Former US Secretary of Energy, a distinguished scientist and co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics (1997). As United States Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu helped implement President Obama’s ambitious agenda to invest in clean energy, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, address the global climate crisis, and create millions of new jobs. Dr. Chu is the co-recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physics (1997). He has devoted his recent scientific career to the search for new solutions to our energy and climate challenges. After serving four years as secretary of energy, Steven Chu returned to Stanford as professor of physics, molecular and cellular physiology. www.stanford.ed

19.   Coombs, Rob:  President and CEO, Interface, Asia Pacific, based in Singapore.  After graduating a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne in 1979, Rob worked in Australian businesses before moving to the UK in 1988 and joined Interface, a manufacturer of commercial carpets and furniture fabrics. After moving through a number of senior management roles within in Europe and Asia Pacific, Rob was appointed President and CEO of a newly formed Asia Pacific division on 2002. Rob continues to follow the example of Interface founder and Chairman the late Ray Anderson, is a leading proponent of sustainable business development www.interfaceglobal.com

20.   Costelloe, Jenny: After leading the CSR consulting practice in several organisations, in 2013 she set up Skylark Advisory. It is a CSR strategy and communications consultancy based in Singapore, which will work closely with organisations helping them to improve their CSR performance and how they communicate it. Skylark has established several collaborations with other organisations and individuals, which will be leveraged to offer the client the best service possible. She was previously with CSR Asia and Tulcan and is a member of ACCA Global Forum for Sustainability (representing Singapore). www.skylarkadvisory.com

21.   Dee, Jon: Australian of the Year 2010 in New South Wales, Managing Director of “Do Something”, Keynote Speaker & Author and Founder of Planet Ark, Jon Dee, is author of “Sustainable Growth”, produced by Sensis, as part of its commitment to supporting a sustainable future for Australia’s small and medium sized businesses. In 2012, the Federal Government awarded Jon’s “Do Something!” team a $871,000 grant to promote energy efficiency to SMEs. In 2013, this involved him presenting videos and writing eBooks that show SMEs how to save energy. www.dosomething.net.au

22.   Delay, Tom: Appointed the first Chief Executive of the UK Carbon Trust in 2001, he has helped grow the company to become a world leader in advising businesses, governments and the public sector on carbon emissions reduction and the development of low carbon technologies, markets and businesses. Tom has placed the Carbon Trust at the heart of low carbon business, helping capture the commercial opportunities of a sustainable, low carbon world.  In recent years, he has taken the company’s unique capability to international markets including China, Korea, the US and Brazil. www.carbontrust.com

23.   Doherty, Peter: Nobel Prize winner in Physiology and Medicine (1996), his latest work is “Sentinel Chickens”. He is also author of “The Light History of Hot Air” and “The Beginner’s Guide to Winning the Nobel Prize”. He also serves in a voluntary, unremunerated capacity as Chair of the Board that provides strategic oversight to the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Systems Science. Doherty, who holds the Michael F. Tamer Chair of Biomedical Research at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, has been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), a prestigious branch of the National Academy of Sciences. www.stjude.org

24.   Duggan, Mike:  Founder, Four Walls and a Roof (FWR), former General Manager at Ecospecifier Global, then responsible for sustainability training at EC3 Global/Earthcheck. Mike is now working with QGC – A BG Group Business as Construction Community Liaison Officer and continues as an industry fellow at the Australian Centre for Sustainable Business and Development.  Michael is committed to accelerating sustainable development, and facilitating its uptake into the mainstream through strategic business management and sustainability learning. www.qgc.com.au

25.   East, May: Special Fellow, United Nations Institute for Training & Research – UNITAR, Geneva Area, Switzerland and CEO of CIFAL Scotland, May is a sustainability educator and designer from Brazil initially heading two international organisations: Gaia Education and CIFAL.  Based at the UN Habitat Best Practice Designation Findhorn Ecovillage since 1992, May has been leading a whole generation of sustainability educators delivering trainings in 31 countries in the most different stages of development and in both urban and rural contexts. She has a UNITAR diploma on Climate Change Diplomacy and is the UN House Scotland Director of Sustainability and Climate Change. www.cifalscotland.org

26.   Elkington, John: Co-founder of SustainAbility and Founder and Executive Chairman of Volans Ventures. Visiting Professor, University College London (UCL) Energy Institute and Visiting Professor at the Imperial College London, John is author of many books, the most significant being 1997’s “Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business”. He is a world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development. In 2004, BusinessWeek described him as “a dean of the corporate responsibility movement for three decades.” www.volans.com

27.   Flannery, Dr Tim: Since the new Australian Government abolished the Climate Commission in September 2013, which Tim was appointed to head, he has become Chief Councillor of the new Climate Council as “Australians deserve independent information about climate change, from the experts”. It is being funded by donations from the public. Author of “The Weather Makers”, leading climate change advocate, former Australian of the Year, head of the Copenhagen Climate Council, he was appointed by the Australian Government early 2011 to a newly-created position as Climate Commissioner, chairing a panel of six experts, including scientists and economists.  www.climatecouncil.org.au

28.   Florini, Ann:  Professor of Public Policy, Singapore Management University (SMU) and academic director of the new Master of Tri-Sector Collaboration, Ann is also Non-resident Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Programme at the Brookings Institution. She has spearheaded numerous international projects, including the Global Governance Initiative and the International Task Force on Transparency, Initiative for Policy Dialogue. Her impressive paper delivered in August 2013 was on “The Future of Capitalism: Will Asia Lead the Way in Sustainability?” shows the important role of partnerships as the foundation for sustainable and effective strategic planning.  www.smu.edu.sg

29.   Frost, Tony: A fifth generation South African, he is passionate about the natural heritage of our planet and particularly South Africa. After 20 years as a Human Resources Director, he founded Sirocco Strategic Management in 1996. He has published “After the Rain”, a book on the subject of organisations and management. He was CEO of the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) in South Africa from 2002 to 2007. In one of his latest papers he stresses that “Personal sustainability is an imperative for leaders”.  www.siroccostrategy.com

30.   Gabriel, Florian: Senior Advisor Export and Innovation for swisscleantech , Florian shares his time between Zürich Area, Switzerland and Vancouver British Columbia, Canada. Providing strategic consulting to swisscleantech, Switzerland, the Green Trade Project Office, Taiwan and the Global Cleantech Cluster Association, he is a keynote speaker at International Cleantech Conferences. Instrumental in setting up the Global Cleantech Cluster Association Asia-Pacific Gateway. www.swisscleantech.ch

31.   Gafoor, Burhan: Ambassador Gafoor is the Chief Negotiator of Singapore for Climate Change and concurrently Senior Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has extensive experience in multilateral negotiations. In 2011, he served as Vice-Chairman of the Transitional Committee that designed the Green Climate Fund, which was operationalized at the UN Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa. He has represented Singapore at all UNFCCC events including the latest in Warsaw, Poland November 2013. www.unfccc.int

32.   Genoff, Rodin: Global Head Strategy & Business Development for BE Integrative Design, part of the Be Sustainable Group, Rodin is an award-winning cluster expert who has built multi-million dollar global sustainability projects. In 1998 and 1999 Rodin undertook the first environment management product services survey of the Australian economy, surveying 800 companies. As a Director of Ecobiz he also played a major part in convening the first international environment and business EXPO and conference in Australia.  Rodin is the author of several books and is currently writing a book with a former editor of the Australian Financial Review on gender and diversity in the new economy. www.beid.sg

33.   George, Aaron: Co-Founder and Managing Director of Amida Recruitment, a London-based agency specialising in the sustainability sector and Director, BREP (Resource & Environmental Planning). Aaron has 12 years’ experience in the recruitment industry. Specialising in freelance recruitment in his early career, Aaron then developed his expertise in a management capacity running offices recruiting for the consulting engineering, construction and property sectors. Aaron has worked on global recruitment campaigns with a number of multinational clients and leads Amida’s global operations from London. www.amida-recruit.com

34.   Gilding, Paul: An independent writer, advisor and advocate for action on climate change and sustainability, Paul Gilding has been involved in the Core Faculty of the Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership for 11 years. Former CEO of a range of innovative NGO’s and companies including Greenpeace International, Ecos Corporation and Easy Being Green. He argues in his book “The Great Disruption”, that this crisis driven change is an enormous opportunity to build a new approach to economic and social development for humanity. www.paulgilding.com

35.   Grant, Andrew: Chief Executive Officer, CO2 Group Ltd, the ASX listed environmental services company specializing in carbon abatement (carbon forestry), carbon advisory and carbon trading, with offices across Australia and New Zealand. Prior to CO2, he was the National Head of Ernst and Young’s environmental advisory division also fulfilling this same role at Arthur Anderson in previous years. Earlier, Andrew held the position as Executive Manager in Sustainable Packaging at Visy Industrial Packaging. He also serves as Non Executive Director of Parks Victoria and Earthwatch Institute. www.co2australia.com.au

36.   Grier, Nigel: Chief Executive of Be Integrative Design, a specialist design, engineering and project management practice operating globally from Singapore, the Former Managing Director & Principal, Zingspace, Townsville, Australia is an experienced Landscape Ecologist with a focus on Restoration Ecology & Biomimicry: looking to nature for the solutions to today’s problems. Nigel has led many multidisciplinary design teams in the Masterplanning for Landscape, Water & Natural Resource projects. www.beid.sg

37.   Gunneberg, Ben:  Secretary General of PEFC, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, Ben is a  graduate from Aberdeen University, a chartered forester, with a Masters in Business Administration from the Open University. He has spent most of his working life in Forestry. After completing his studies he joined the University of Wales, Bangor as a researcher in Forest Economics and thereafter worked in various positions in the Timber Growers Association in the UK and became involved in forest certification when he took on the position of Technical Director. www.pefc.org

38.   Guldberg, Ove Hoegh: Director of the Global Change Institute at The University of Queensland, he has held academic positions at UCLA, Stanford University, The University of Sydney and is currently a member of the Royal Society (London) Marine Advisory Network; and the Board of Editing Reviewers at Science Magazine. He heads a large research laboratory (over 30 researchers &students) that focuses on how global warming and ocean acidification are affecting and will affect coral reefs. He is an Australian Academy of Science Fellow for 2013, nominated for discovering the molecular mechanism behind coral bleaching during his PhD and early career. www.gci.uq.edu.au

39.   Harding, Jeff: As former Chairman Ceramic Fuel Cells, Jeff is director of the AIM listed Renewable Energy Holdings Plc, and non-executive director of ASX listed Carnegie Wave Energy Limited. He was formerly Vice President of the Australian Business Council for Sustainable Development. From 1995 to 2005 he was Managing Director of Pacific Hydro Limited. He has Degrees in Civil Engineering, Economics, and a Masters Degree in Business Administration and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. www.cfcl.com.au

40.   Hee, Limin Dr: Deputy Director of Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC), a knowledge nexus and think-tank for liveable and sustainable cities, where she has oversight of research strategies, initiatives and collaborations. She has helped to bring to fruition the Urban Systems Studies series, which delve deep into the transformation of Singapore. Prior to CLC, she taught at the School of Design and Environment at the National University of Singapore, leading the Urban Studies Research and Teaching Group, and was a Principal Investigator at the Centre for Sustainable Asian Cities, with a concurrent appointment at the “Sustainable Cities” cluster at the Asia Research Institute. www.clc.gov.sg

41.   Henley, Jane: As Chief Executive Officer of the World Green Building Council, Jane leads the world’s largest organization influencing the green building marketplace and  a role is to drive collaboration between 98 national green building councils, provide leadership and support, and advocate for green building as a mechanism to deliver environmental, economic and social benefits. Jane has addressed audiences at the past 3 COP climate change negotiations, the APEC – ASEAN workshop on green building in Singapore and the World Cities Summit of Mayors. Jane sets a positive and entrepreneurial agenda for business to drive change, to proactively create the future. www.worldgbc.org

42.   Hill, Kevin: Chairman and Founder, Double Helix Tracking Technologies, the Worlds first timber DNA tracking system. Kevin is leader of a team of experienced people from diverse professional to become a global leader in applied forestry genetics for conservation and the sustainable timber trade, to bridge the gap between cutting edge genetics, forest management and timber supply chain issues. He is also the CEO, Nautique, which produces powered waterscape places, and Venturer, an innovator in timber design and construction. www.doublehelixtracking.com

43.   Hood, David: Adjunct Professor, Engineering.  Once he stepped down as the Founding Chairman of the Australian Green Infrastructure Council (AGIC) and as the National President of Engineers Australia (EA) at the end of 2012, there was nothing for David Hood to do but continue through all means at his disposal to preach, practice and teach sustainability. He continues to teach and lead the sustainability program for infrastructure at the Cooperative Research Centre for Infrastructure and Engineering Asset Management (CIEAM) based at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and is Co-President at the Australian National Sustainability Initiative (ANSI). www.qut.edu.au

44.   Huxley, Anne Maree: Founder and CEO, Models of Success and Sustainability (MOSS), Melbourne, Australia, Anne-Maree continues, through MOSS and other organisations, to provide education, tools and training, networking and advice to drive sustainability and competitive business success. She continues as a director of the Carbon Trade Exchange, the world’s first end to end electronic platform for trading voluntary and regulated carbon credits, and has been a judge for the UN World Environment day Awards and the International Green Awards. www.moss.org.au

45.   Kakabadse, Yolanda: WWF’s International President is the former Ecuadorian Minister of Environment. From 1990 until 1992, she coordinated the participation of civil society organizations for the United Nations Conference for Environment and Development (Earth Summit) in Geneva. From 1996 to 2004 she was President of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), and Member of the Board of the World Resources Institute (WRI) during the same period. She co-Chaired the Environmental Sustainability Task Force of the UN Millennium Project, 2002 – 2005. wwf.panda.org

46.   Kelly, Jim: Group Vice President and Head of Energy Efficiency, ABB. Jim leads ABB’s global efforts in this business area bringing the full potential of “One ABB” to this important market opportunity. Energy efficiency is recognized as a central driver of growth for ABB’s customers including industries, utilities, transportation and buildings. ABB’s opportunities in energy efficiency are vast (over $15B in sales per annum) and this theme is a top 3 growth driver for the company. Increasingly, ABB is required to offer customers innovative solutions combining elements from across the entire spectrum of the Group’s products, systems and services. www.abb.com

47.   King, Sir David: The former UK Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University. Sir David was the UK Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of the Government Office of Science from October 2000 to 31 December 2007. In that time, he raised the profile of the need for governments worldwide to act on climate change and was instrumental in creating the new £1bn Energy Technologies Institute.  Sir David became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1991, Foreign Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2002, was knighted in 2003 for his work in science. www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk

48.   Koh, Professor Tommy: Singapore Ambassador at Large, won the Champion of the Earth Award from the United Nations Environment Programme, he was President of the Third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea from 1980 to 1982. He was Chairman of the Preparatory Committee for and the Main Committee of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (RIO) from 1990 to 1992. Special Adviser of the Institute of Policy Studies and Chairman of the National Heritage Board. He continues to provide leadership through his writing, teaching and moderating major conferences and forums.  www.spp.nus.edu.sg/ips

49.   Kwek, Leng Joo: Managing Director of City Developments Limited (CDL) is also a firm advocate of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for close to 2 decades now, making it an integral driving force behind the company’s business philosophy. He was elected as the President of Singapore Compact for CSR. Under his leadership, CDL is recognised as a leader in CSR and green buildings. CDL is proud to be the only Singapore company listed on Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, FTSE4Good Index Series and Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the world for 3 consecutive years. www.cdl.com.sg

50.    Lauber, Alex:  Director Australasian business for Carbonsoft, which launched an open source platform, with the support of Standard Bank, to fund and oversee the United Nations process of registering projects which generate carbon credits. Alex, an experienced lawyer with extensive commercial and transactional skills. He draws upon his legal and regulatory background to take a hands on approach, combining strategic analysis with a detailed understanding of commercial issues, to deliver practical results. Alex is admitted to practice law in Victoria, Australia and England. www.carbonsoft.net

51.   Lauber-Patterson, Jennifer: She has just taken on the role of Interim CEO, Yarra Energy Foundation, to engage the community to reduce emissions, develop carbon reduction programs and partnerships to assist the City of Yarra to become carbon neutral. She continues to head Carbon Market Investment Association (CMIA) for Australia, NZ, Singapore and Indonesia, international trade association representing firms that finance, invest in, and provide enabling support to activities that reduce emissions. She is also Co-Founder and Executive Director of Frontier Carbon, and on the Advisory Board of the Australia Carbon Market Institute. www.frontier-carbon.net

52.   Lebbon, Tim: Company director, speaker on sustainability for business and promoter of forest carbon credits and clean tech investment. He is the founder of Carbon Value, which is a significant part of the Australian and Singapore investment in the environment sector for Tim, who is also the Chairman of Adelaide-based Leadenhall VRG Pty Ltd. He has over twenty five years’ experience in consulting and corporate advisory work and is an acknowledged expert on company valuations.  Tim is also a director Paragon Private Equity.  www.leadenhall.com.au

53.   Leaver, Rod: Chief Executive Officer, Asia, Rod joined Lend Lease in January 2008. Prior to his current role he was Chief Executive Officer Australia, and previously Chief Executive Officer of Asia Pacific and Global Head of Lend Lease’s investment management business. Rod is a Director of the Green Building Council of Australia and Chair of the Australian National Business Leader’s Forum on Sustainable Development. He was previously a member of the Australian Government’s Business Roundtable on Climate Change. www.lendlease.com

54.   Lee, Chuan Seng: As the Emeritus Chairman of Beca Asia, a leading engineering consultancy based in Singapore, Lee Chuan Seng is Co-chairman of the Building and Construction Authority (BCA). He is an Honorary Advisor of the Singapore Green Building Council and was its founding President (2009-2011) as well as a Board Member of the World Green Building Council from 2010 to 2013. He is a Board Member of the Singapore National Environment Agency which regulates environmental matters. He is a member of the Singapore Ministry of National Development R&D Steering Committee for applied research. www.beca.com

55.   Lee, Eng Lock: With Trane Singapore for the past 30-plus years, he has  been designing and building arguably the most energy efficient buildings in the world. He is also the pioneer in very accurate long-term measurement and monitoring for mechanical plants. In 1994, Lee was awarded the Association of Energy Engineers USA Energy Project of the year for the Western Digital factory in Kuala Lumpur and in 2012, he received one of four Champion of Energy Efficiency Awards from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) for “his world-leading HVAC design and engineering”. www.trane.com

56.   Lee, Kevin: He has been the Sustainability Manager at Power Seraya in Singapore, a YTL Company, for six years, where he has been intimately involved in the initiation, development and implementation of the company’s CSR strategy, as well as the adoption of sustainable practices through initiatives, awareness building programs, change management and behaviour change approaches. He was responsible for bringing Power Seraya on board as the sustainability partner in the international award winning i Light Marina Bay lighting festival in March 2012. www.powerseraya.com,.sg

57.   Lovins, Amory: Cofounder, Chairman and Chief Scientist of the famed Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), the 65-year-old American consultant, experimental physicist and 1993 MacArthur Fellow, has been active at the nexus of energy, resources, environment, development, and security in more than 50 countries for 36 years, including 14 years based in England. Author of the widely acclaimed work “Reinventing Fire”, he has a plan to make America fossil-fuel free. He is widely considered among the world’s leading authorities on energy—especially its efficient use and sustainable supply—and a fertile innovator in integrative design. www.rmi.org

58.   Lowe, Ian Professor:  Immediate Past President of the Australian Conservation Foundation (2004-2012), IPCC contributor, and author of dozens of books, including the landmark climate change expose “Living in the Hothouse”, Ian is currently Emeritus Professor of Science, Technology and Society at Griffith University in Brisbane. Professor Lowe’s contributions to environmental science have won him a Centenary Medal, the Eureka Prize for promotion of science and  the Prime Minister’s Environment Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement. Professor Lowe was named Humanist of the Year in 1988 and made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2001. www.acfonline.org.au

59.   Lyle, Adam: Sustainability change management and green certification specialist, Adam is executive director of Sustain Ability Showcase Asia (SASA). He conducts training and consulting for many organisations. With a 20 year career in industry, beginning in banking, moving into strategic planning, general management and CEO positions. Sustainability is now at the centre of Adam’s business focus, helping companies efficiently manage resources and with the introduction of ISO 50001, 14001 and 20121 programmes. In 2010 Adam started GreenBizCheck in Singapore, an environmental certification company. He is a Board member of the AustCham in Singapore. www.sustain-ability-showcase.com

60.   Mahbubani, Kishore: A student of philosophy and history, Kishore Mahbubani has had the good fortune of enjoying a career in government and in writing on public issues. With the Foreign Service for Singapore from 1971 to 2004, he served in Cambodia, Malaysia, Washington DC and New York, including Ambassador to the UN and President of the UN Security Council. He recently made an impassioned call for Singapore to become the first country in the world with an all-electric vehicle fleet. “No other country can do it as easily as Singapore”. Currently, he is the Dean and Professor in the Practice of Public Policy at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP). www.lkyspp.nus.edu.sg

61.   McGaw, Ngaire: Her passion for sustainability began in 2001 through her experience in the health sector and environmental studies in Brisbane, Australia and she has more than seven years of experience in reducing emissions. She is experienced in leading sustainability projects at the community, household and organisational levels, including award-winning projects including those funded by the Australian Greenhouse Office. She has been actively involved in the award-winning Sustainable Jamboree, Beyond Zero Emissions and the Climate and Health Alliance. Ngaire holds the qualification of Green Star Association. www.sustainablejamboree.org

62.   McIntosh, Professor Malcolm:  Director, Asia Pacific Centre for Sustainable Enterprise. An international leader in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable enterprise. Malcolm pioneered the teaching of corporate responsibility and sustainability in universities in the UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.  Editor of the 2013 book, The Necessary Transition, which  addresses the many transitions taking place around the world: from high- to low-carbon economies, from gross inequality to egalitarianism, from massive human rights abuses to socially just societies, and from high corruption to societies with high social cohesion and integrity. www.griffith.edu.au

63.   McKibben, Bill:  An environmental journalist who has written widely about climate change, Bill is the author of a dozen books about the environment, beginning with “The End of Nature in 1989”, which is regarded as the first book for a general audience on climate change. He is a founder of the grassroots climate campaign 350.org, which has coordinated 15,000 rallies in 189 countries since 2009. Time Magazine called him ‘the planet’s best green journalist’ and the Boston Globe said in 2010 that he was ‘probably the country’s most important environmentalist.’ In 2011 he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. www.billmckibben.com

64.   McLennan, Tim: Chief Executive Officer of the International Energy Centre (IEC), the Brisbane based not for profit company established to develop energy literacy, leadership, knowledge and expertise to support the transition to a sustainable low carbon future. He has over 25 years of experience in the resources sector, covering research, innovation management, commercialisation, international business and strategic partnership management.  He was held senior roles in CSIRO and the Queensland Centre for Advanced Technologies. He is a director of the Australian Latin American Business Council and the Council of Australia Latin America Relations. www.internationalenergycentre.com

65.   Moore, Stewart: With a Bachelor of Regional and Town Planning (Honours) from The University of Queensland, a Masters Degree in Regional Science specialising in Tourism Planning and Sustainability and a Post Graduate Diploma in Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia, Stewart is the CEO/Director of Earthcheck and EC3 Global. Stewart has over twenty-five years of experience in tourism operations and consulting to the private and public sector both within Australian and the Asia Pacific region, with a strong focus on sustainability management. www.earthcheck.org

66.   Metcalf, Louise: Author of Leadership for Sustainability Survey and member of APS College of Organisational Psychologists, Louise has over 16 years’ worth of experience in psychological practice, the last 10 years in organisational/ business psychology and coaching. From Macquarie University, she has a PhD in Leadership and Sustainability (Organisational Performance), plus a Masters in Business Administration, Masters in Applied Organisational Psychology, Honours in Psychology. She is Director of Sydney based leadership and sustainability consultancy, Pax Leader Labs. www.paxleaderlabs.org

67.   O’Brien, John:  Managing Director of Australian Clean Tech, which he founded, John facilitates the Australian CleanTech Network that provides opportunities for collaboration and publishes both the Australian Cleantech Index and the annual Australian Cleantech Review. John spent 9 years working in one of Australia’s leading energy companies, and 6 years in roles working on development, strategy and M&A projects. He is on the board of cleantech companies involved in wind farm development, biosensors and plastics recycling in China. He has engineering degrees from the University of Oxford and Trinity College, Dublin and an MBA from the University of Adelaide. www.auscleantech.com.au

68.   Obbard, Jeff: Head and Director of the Sustainable Development and Water Alliance (SDWA) in Singapore, Jeff has over 20 years work experience in applied environmental science and engineering in the academic, private and government sectors. He has also worked in the United Kingdom, United States and Hong Kong. His core competency is in managing of environmental technology and applied science to further sustainable development; biotechnology, and renewable energy. He has a special focus on aquatic microalgae for biofuel feedstocks. He is associate professor at the National University of Singapore‘s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. www.sdwa.nus.edu.sg

69.   O’Gorman, Dermot: Appointed as the CEO of WWF-Australia in August 2010, Dermot first joined WWF’s UK office in 1998. Managing a team of 75 staff in 6 offices with an annual budget of over AUSD$20 million, he oversees 6 large programmes on sustainability in transforming markets, energy and climate change, biodiversity protection and domestic international policy in Australia and the Region. He has since worked with WWF in the South Pacific, at the WWF International office in Switzerland and, most recently, as the Country Representative of WWF in China. Dermot works with leading conservationists, governments and industry leaders to promote the role of WWF. www.wwf.com.au

70.   Polman, Paul:  Appointed an Executive Director of Unilever in October 2008, he assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer on 1st January 2009 and he is widely regarded as the business world’s sustainability leader. He earned a BBA/BA from the University of Groningen, Netherlands, in 1977 and an MBA/MA in economics and finance from the University of Cincinnati in 1979. He is a Trustee of both the Leverhulme Trust and Asia House, a former board member of Alcon and, since February 2010, a non-executive director of the Dow Chemical Company. www.unilever.com

71.   Porritt, Jonathon: Co-Founder of Forum for the Future, Jonathon is an eminent writer, broadcaster and commentator on sustainable development. His latest book “The World We Made” looks into the future and sees what we have created in 2050. He is Co-Director of The Prince of Wales’s Business and Sustainability Programme. He was instrumental in launching the Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI), which brings together some of the biggest names in the maritime sector to plan how it can contribute to – and thrive in – a sustainable future. Jonathon received a CBE in January 2000 for services to environmental protection. www.jonathonporritt.com

72.   Posner, Rupert: Chief Executive Officer, GECA since October 2012, Rupert has helped deliver a transformation of Australia’s only independent, not-for-profit, multi-sector ecolabel. Rupert ensures that GECA runs credibly and efficiently and he maintains and develops relationships with prominent stakeholders, governments and the media. GECA’s mission is to drive a substantial increase in the sustainability of consumption. He was previously heavily involved with the Climate Group in Australia and the US, starting in 2005 and continuing until August 2012. www.geca.org.au

73.   Purves, Rob: President, WWF Australia and Chairman of Sustainable Business Australia, Robert is an investor and an environmentalist. He is co-founder and a member of The Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists. Robert is also a Director of The Peter Cullen Water Trust, a Patron of the Lizard Island Research Station and a Governor of Australian Youth Climate Coalition. In 2012 Robert was appointed as President of WWF Australia for a second term. In 2008 Robert was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to conservation and the environment and awarded an Honorary Fellow from the University of Sydney. www.wwf.com.au

74.   Quirk, Robert: Advocate and lecturer in sustainable agriculture, foundation chair of the Better Sugar Cane Initiative (BSI), the global round table formed by WWF and IFC. The Better Sugarcane Initiative (BSI) is a collaboration of sugar retailers, investors, traders, producers and NGOs who are committed to sustainable sugar production. He is involved with Climate Kelpie as a ‘one-stop shop’ for climate risk management information and tools, designed for Australian farmers and farm advisors. He serves on the Board of Directors of the international sugar group Bonsucro, which is creating and making the Standard for sustainable sugarcane production available everywhere. www.bonsucro.com

75.   Ram Bhaskar, Ananda:  Director (Energy Efficiency and Conservation) in the National Environment Agency (NEA), which promotes energy efficiency in the residential, public and manufacturing sectors. Ram Bhaskar has been involved in energy efficiency work for more than 10 years. Prior to that, he was involved in the development of waste disposal facilities for Singapore. He has effectively led a team to upgrade the E2 Singapore website to spread the energy efficiency message as well as organise three successful National Energy Efficiency Conferences in 2011, 2012 and 2013. www.nea.gov.sg

76.   Ridley, Andy: Executive Director and Co-Founder of Earth Hour, the global environmental movement initiated in Sydney, Australia in 2007.  Working for WWF in Australia, he was inspired by the idea of a campaign to engage everyday people and businesses in the climate change debate through a simple action, so Andy initiated a think tank between Leo Burnett and Fairfax Media, forming a partnership to deliver a ‘lights out’ campaign, which would later become known as Earth Hour. Andy, now based in Singapore, continues to lead Earth Hour’s global operations. www.earthhour.org

77.   Risby, Dr Phil: Global Head Technology for BE Integrative Design and Head of Research and Labs, he co-founded Be Sustainable. Serial entrepreneur driven by the potential to bring about positive change through People, Planet and Profit where honour, respect, integrity and fairness are the core principles. In 2008, his innovations and patents featured in a BBC documentary that attracted the interest of Gunter Pauli and the Blue Economy. He handed over his rapidly growing company in 2011 and went on to form BE Labs in Norwich and then BE Sustainable in Singapore. BE Sustainable, (BE is for Blue Economy), is rapidly growing, now active in 17 countries. www.besustainable.sg

78.   Rowe, Alison: Global Executive Director, Sustainability, International Business, Fujitsu. An International thought leader with vast experience in business, government and NFPs. Non Executive Director of the Advisory Board, Future Business Council and Non Executive Director  and member of the External Sustainability Advisory Board, Latrobe University Educational Institution, where she  assists the University in adopting a best practice approach in managing its social, environmental and economic sustainability performance across operations, curriculum and research and changing behaviours amongst staff and students so as to become a leading sustainable organisation. www.fujitsu.com

79.   Schuster, Dr Sandra: Climate and Disaster Risk Analyst specializing in Disaster Risk Reduction/Assessment and Climate Change Resilience, Sandra has a background in Climatology, Meteorology and Physical Geography with over ten years professional work, both in Australia and internationally. Sandra is a Lead Author with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in the Impacts-Adaptation-Vulnerability Volume (due to be completed in 2014), member of the CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship Stakeholder Advisory Group, past chair / National Council of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (AMOS), and NSW Lead Governor of WWF. www.wwf.com.au

80.   Shang, Ruby: Currently Director, Asia Initiative for the William J. Clinton Foundation, she was previously titled Regional Director, Asia for the Foundation and the Clinton Climate Initiative and prior to that Regional Director, SE Asia and China at Clinton Health Access Initiative, Ruby is active in promoting programmes for energy efficiency, clean energy and sustainability throughout Asia. She was education at Brown University and the American School in Japan. www.clintonfoundation.org

81.   Sharpe, Freddy: The CEO of Climate Friendly, Australia’s leading carbon management company, Freddy Sharpe has grown this into an international business delivering carbon solutions to leading corporations, governments and individuals around the world. As a key figure in the global voluntary carbon market, Freddy has helped to build the business case for real, meaningful voluntary action and to strengthen the links between carbon finance and broader environmental and social impacts, by offering complete solutions from development of carbon projects through to distribution and retail.  www.climatefriendly.com

82.   Solsky, David: CEO and co-founder of Carbon Systems, now called Envizi, is a passionate technology entrepreneur. He has spent the past four years working locally and internationally to build the company into a leader in the energy and carbon management sector. Sydney, Australia. Prior to 2007 David spent a decade in the IT industry as an entrepreneur, building several successful Australia and New Zealand businesses in the information and data management sector. David plays a driving role in the ongoing design and evolution of the technology platform and the development of the company’s global partner channel. www.envizi.com

83.   Stern, Nicholas:  Former World Bank Chief Economist, he was recruited to work for the British government to conduct reviews on the economics of climate change which led to the publication of the landmark Stern Review in 2006. He is currently chair of the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, hosted by the London School of Economics and Political Science; chair of the Grantham Research Institute for Climate Change and the Environment; IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government at the Suntory and Toyota International Centres for Economics and Related Disciplines (STICERD); Chair of the Asia Research Centre; Director of the India Observatory. www.lse.ac.uk

84.   Strong, David: An internationally recognised expert in energy efficient sustainable building design and refurbishment, from 1998 to 2007 he was Managing Director of BRE Environment and between 2007 and 2010 Chief Executive of Inbuilt Consulting Ltd. Since 2002 David has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Nottingham and in December 2012 he was also appointed a Visiting Professor at the Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development. David is also Chairman of the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Buildings and formerly the chair of the UK governments Green Deal Installer Accreditation and Qualification Ministerial Forum www.davidstrong.co.uk

85.   Sun, Dorjee: CEO of Carbon Conservation and Executive Director of Carbon Agro, Dorjee is passionate about sustainable forests, community development, conservation and climate change. He started Carbon Conservation to finance the preservation of tropical rainforests and provide carbon credit revenues to local communities via Avoided Deforestation. Graduating from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) with degrees in Law and Commerce and a Diploma in Asian Studies, Dorjee studied at Peking University in China on a 2 year scholarship. www.carbonconservation.com

86.   Suzuki, David: Canadian environmentalist and long-time activist to reverse global climate change, co-founded the David Suzuki Foundation in 1990, to work “to find ways for society to live in balance with the natural world that sustains us.” The Foundation’s priorities are: oceans and sustainable fishing, climate change and clean energy, sustainability, and Suzuki’s Nature Challenge. He has authored over 40 books, and is widely recognized as a world leader in sustainable ecology. Dr. Suzuki has received numerous awards for his work, including a UNESCO prize for science, a United Nations Environment Program medal, and is a Companion of the Order of Canada. www.davidsuzuki.org

87.   Tan, Hoe Beng, Dato’ Sri: Originally from Singapore but now based in Kuantan in Malaysia, he is the man behind the introduction of the hybrid bio-fuel plant, “X Fruit”. Dato’ Sri Tan, who is the President and Chief Executive Officer of ZCM Minerals and Resources, has established International Green Innovation (IGI) to manage the development of the “X Fruit”. His companies have been working on developing this hybrid for close to ten years now and have ascertained that the plant can produce 50 tonne of fruit – or 33,000 litres of oil – per acre per year, which is a much higher yield than palm oil, he announced at the Singapore International Energy Week 2013.  www.internationalgreeninnovation.com

 88.   Tai, Lee Siang: Former President Singapore Green Building Council, Mr Tai is a multi-award winning architect and urban planner at both local and international levels. A Past President of Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA), Mr Tai formed the SIA Green Committee leading to the first collaboration for the International Green Building Conference with Singapore Building and Construction Authority (BCA). He was appointed to the World Green Building Council’s Board of Directors in October 2013 and he is currently the Group Managing Director of the respected architectural firm, Ong & Ong Pte Ltd. www.group.ong-ong.com

89.   Tan, Professor Leo: He is the Director of Special Projects at the Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, concurrent with his role as the President of the Singapore National Academy of Science. A marine biologist, as the Chairman of the Singapore Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research Fundraising Committee, he has led the establishment of the new natural history museum at NUS, including the acquisition of three authentic and near complete dinosaur fossils. He was the recipient of the Singapore President’s Award for the Environment in 2007. www.dbs.nus.edu.sg

90.   Taylor, Graeme: Peace and Conflict Studies, Social Systems Project Coordinator at BEST Futures and a frequent communicator of sustainability and related work. The goal of BEST Futures is to support the emergence of a sustainable global system through providing people and communities with new tools, perspectives, and knowledge. It began in 2003 as a research project designed to develop, apply and disseminate Biosocial Evolutionary Systems Theory model (the BEST Model) of societal change and evolution, which builds on the work of Alastair M. Taylor (1915-2005). www.bestfutures.org

91.   Teng, Kevin: Chief Engineer at Marina Bay Sands, Kevin was made Director of Sustainability in January 2012. Armed with a Bachelor’s Degree, Electrical Engineering , Biomedical Engineering and International Studies from Duke University, a Master’s of Science , Urban Planning from London School of Economics and Masters of Science Degree , Urban Planning London School of Economics, Kevin is well equipped for the job at the iconic Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. He has introduced a raft of sustainability measures and the resort is currently going through the process of adopting the ISO 20121 certification for its convention facilities. www.marinabaysands.com

92.   Thomas, Simon: With a strong background in Education Operations Management, Simon most recently served as Director of Facilities of Projects for UWCSEA, a school of 4000 students. A significant part of this role involves overseeing the entire project lifecycle for the construction of Tampines campus, one of the largest new school projects in the world in a 36 month time period.  Simon has recently worked with schools developing new facilities in Thailand, Indonesia and India. A breadth of experience at the sharp end of managing, maintaining and upgrading school facilities and services gives a unique angle to projects which require a firm practical and hands on input. www.uwcsea.edu.sg

93.   Thwaites, Professor John: Chair of the National Sustainability Council since October 2012, which provides independent advice to the Australian Government on sustainability issues and produces public reports. He is also Chairman Monash Sustainability Institute and Chairman Climate Works Australia and chairs the Australian Building Codes Board. He was Deputy Premier of Victoria from 1999 – 2007, as well as Minister for Health, Minister for Planning, Minister for Environment, Minister for Water, Minister for Victorian Communities and Victoria’s first Minister for Climate Change. He has degrees in Law (Honours) and Science from Monash University. www.climateworksaustralia.org

94.   Van Aerschot, Constant: Executive Director of Business Council for Sustainable Development (Singapore), Constant was previously Vice-President at Lafarge’s Sustainable Development & Public Affairs department. He graduated as a civil engineer from the ETH in Zürich (Switzerland), and gained extensive building design experience while working for the global design firm ARUP in the UK, Germany and Australia. Constant also holds an MBA from the Cranfield School of Management (UK) and has had corporate strategy responsibilities at Alcatel-Lucent. He was co-chair of the “Energy Efficiency in Buildings” project from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. www.wbcsd.org

95.   Visser, Wayne: Dr Wayne Visser is Director of the think tank Kaleidoscope Futures and Founder of CSR International. In addition, Wayne is Senior Associate at the University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership and Visiting Professor of Corporate Responsibility at the Gordon Institute of Business Science in South Africa. Before getting his PhD in Corporate Social Responsibility (Nottingham University, UK), Wayne was Director of Sustainability Services for KPMG and Strategy Analyst for Cap Gemini in South Africa. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Green Professionals (IGP). www.waynevisser.com

96.   Wiebe, Dr. John:  President and CEO the GLOBE Foundation, which was established Vancouver, Canada in 1993 and organizers of the GLOBE series of international conferences , including GLOBE 2014, the biennial Conference and Trade Fair on business and Sustainability. An expert on environmental business and the application of sustainability principles to business ventures, he was recognized in 2011 as one of Canada’s Clean16, naming him one of 16 individuals who have done the most to advance the cause of sustainability and clean capitalism in Canada. John has managed projects, advised governments and corporations worl-wide for the past 30 years.  www.globe.ca

97.   Wills, Ray: He has had a wide-ranging career at different times as researcher, academic, planner, consultant, adviser, manager and executive, with substantial expertise in ecology, sustainability, climate change science and the effects of expected future climates on Australia.  Ray is Board Member, and former CEO, of the Sustainable Energy Association of Australia, Adjunct Professor at The University of Western Australia contributing to the academic program and providing advice to UWA on sustainability, and a Director and joint owner of the advisory firm Duda&Wills. www.dudawills.com.au

98.   Woodring, Douglas: The co-founder of the Ocean Recovery Alliance, which is focused on bringing innovative solutions, technology, collaborations and policy together to impact positive improvements for the health of the ocean.  Two global preventative projects on the issues of plastic waste were announced at the Clinton Global Initiative in 2010: the Plastic Disclosure Project, and the Global Alert platform. Doug co-founded Project Kaisei which led a science expedition to the North Pacific Gyre with Scripps Oceanography in 2009, and was recognized as a UN Climate Hero and a Google Earth Hero for its efforts. www.oceanrecov.org

99.   Wright, Matthew: Executive Director of Zero Emissions since May 2013, after previously founding and leading climate solutions think tank Beyond Zero Emissions, an organisation focused decarbonising the Australian economy. He helped the organisation through its strategic research collaboration with the University of Melbourne’s Energy Research Institute and the production of the landmark Zero Carbon Australia Stationary Energy Plan, released in 2011. He led the campaign to get support to enable Australia to shred all reliance on oil, coal and gas and become entirely dependent on renewable energy sources, mostly solar thermal, by the end of the decade. www.zeroemissions.org.au

100.                 Yeoh, Ruth:  Executive Director at YTL Singapore Pte Ltd, she takes responsibility for the company’s environmental and sustainability policies and reports on the YTL Group’s environmental activities through its award-winning Sustainability Reports.  Ruth also pioneered the highly successful “Climate Change Week”, YTL’s flagship educational campaign. Ruth graduated with a degree (Hons) from the University of Nottingham UK and an MSc (Distinction) from Cass Business School in the City of London. She authored and co-edited a book entitled “Cut Carbon, Grow Profits: Business Strategies for Managing Climate Change and Sustainability” (published in 2007). www.ytl.com.my

The third 100 Global Sustain Ability Leaders list, which has been devised and produced by Ken Hickson, Chairman/CEO of Sustain Ability Showcase Asia and ABC Carbon, is published in the 202nd issue of abc carbon express (24 November 2013).  Nominations were invited through abc carbon express and received from readers around the world. There is purposely no ranking of individuals on the list, which is shown in alphabetical order, based on surnames or family names.

Source: www.abccarbon.com  and www.sustain-ability-showcase.com

 


 

 

 

 


 

 

Time’s Up!

Posted by Ken on November 22, 2013
Posted under Express 202

Time’s UP!

It is sad but true. Climate change is unstoppable. Is it happening now – as the Philippines has discovered to its great cost this month – and whatever we do from now on is going to make very little difference. The latest United Nations Climate Change Conference once again seems to confirm the futility of trying to get global agreement. Too late!

The optimism expressed by Christiana Figueres and Nicholas Stern in Warsaw that  “a new universal climate agreement is within our reach”, has to be contrasted with the decisions of Japan, Canada and Australia to back-track on the national commitments they had made. And those commitments – particularly in the case of Australia which was at a pathetic 5% emissions reduction – were not of the order to make a real difference anyway. We have passed the point of no return.

UN Chief Ban Ki-Moon said in 2007 that climate change was “unequivocal” and we can expect “abrupt and irreversible” impacts. Nothing has changed.

I am horrified that I appear to be admitting defeat for the first time – ever the optimist – that the present process is not working and not enough has been set in motion to make any difference. Can we do more than prepare for the worst? Go into damage control?  Read More.

Because, as many people do not seem to understand, it will take many years – climate scientists say between 20 and 50 years – for any of the benefits of what we do now to be felt. We cannot change the climate overnight. What damage we have done over 200-odd years since the Industrial Revolution – when man started to seriously burn fossil fuels, land clearing and changed agricultural practices -  has changed for all time the level of CO2 concentrations  in the atmosphere.

Here’s what Bryan Walsh wrote for Time Magazine last month:

You want to know what the biggest obstacle to dealing with climate change is? Simple: time.

It will take decades before the carbon dioxide we emit now begins to have its full effect on the planet’s climate. And by the same token, it will take decades before we are able to enjoy the positive climate effects of reducing carbon-dioxide emissions now. (Even if we could stop emitting all CO₂ today, there’s already future warming that’s been baked into the system, thanks to past emission.)

But we will feel the economic effects of either emitting or restricting CO₂ right now, in real time. While we can argue about the relative cost of reducing CO₂ emissions now — just as we can argue about the economic effects of climate change in the future — it should be clear that any attempt to restrict CO₂ emissions enough to make a dent in future climate change will cause some present-day economic pain.

(Source: Study Shows That Human Beings Are Too Selfish to Fix Climate Change | TIME.com http://science.time.com/2013/10/21/why-we-dont-care-about-saving-our-grandchildren-from-climate-change/#ixzz2lLqihMBJn-from-climate-change/ )

So let’s go back to what Lord Stern said, as the author of the landmark 2006 Stern Review , when he made it clear then that the cost of action – reducing greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the worst impacts of climate change – can be limited to around 1% of GDP each year. If we don’t act – and there is little evidence to date that the world has taken notice of his warning six years ago – “the overall costs and risks of climate change will be equivalent to losing at least 5% of global GDP each year, now and forever”. He said it, and along with Al Gore at the time, put out enough warnings and made serious recommendations for action.

It should now be clear to many – whether they admit it or not – that global emissions will not be reduced to the extent that is necessary to prevent the worst from happening. Many deadlines for action have come and gone, over and over. What was said by Australian commentator Chris Berg in May 2012 must ring true: “sceptics, alarmists, realists, and optimists should all agree that seriously mitigating climate change is a pipe dream”.

Extreme weather events, like we have seen this month, not just in South East Asia, but in North America as well, will get worse and will happen more often. As we have seen in the Philippines, we are not as good as preparing for – or managing disasters and their aftermath – as we should be. We have had a lot of practice us in recent years. So that’s something the world must focus its attention on. Disaster management. We can also start seriously working on adaptation plans. Not building on low lying coastal areas or river/flood plains would be a good place to start.

It is still worthwhile – in my humble view – to continue to invest in renewable energy and to stop burning fossil fuels and forests. There has been a remarkable change in attitudes in this regard and that is worth encouraging. Companies and communities have embraced renewable energy – solar, wind, hydro, bio fuel – and there is the hope that if the world is able to speed that up we might be able to delay the onset of the worst impacts of climate change. Maybe. But we have to accept that the climate is changing now. It is not some future event to “look forward to”.  The heat is on and things are getting worse.

The world still has to make some important decisions. The UN’s chief climate diplomat Ms Figueres urged the coal industry in Poland this month to diversify toward cleaner energy sources and leave most of the world’s remaining coal reserves in the ground. Please tell the world’s coal industry the same thing. And oil companies too, must be given a deadline to stop extracting and selling oil. They should also be required by law to show they are investing more – much more – in renewables.

There’s always hope – and the optimist in me has returned!– that if we do move faster to replace fossil fuels with clean energy; that if we stop cutting down and burning forests; if we can cut waste of energy and other resources – be much more energy efficient for a start – we might just buy ourselves and future generations a little more time.

That’s something the International Energy  Agency chief economist Fatih Biroh has been saying very plainly. He described it as an “economic sin” and an “epic failure of international energy policy” that the industrial world has failed miserably to save energy. Why only a third of economically viable energy efficiency measures are actually achieved globally.

He believes energy efficiency can delay the “lock-in” of CO2 emissions, and give us an extra five years.

And we can also hope, not for miracles, but for some plan or technology or innovation that can be applied on a grand scale to make a difference. I would like to think that the well-researched book by Jonathon Porritt, “The World We Made”, has some accurate forecasting in it. The world in 2050, according to his “fiction based on facts”, could eventuate. But there is a lot of pain to go through to get there.

Let’s hope there is still time to do more and do it better than before. But the time has passed when we leave it in the hands of our representatives to agree to a global pact.

Every country must act its own interests to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts.

Every company must manage resources in a sustainable way to cut waste and improve efficiency.

Every city and community must look to ways to “become sustainable and liveable”.

Every person, where-ever they live, must come to the realisation that they have a vote and they have a voice.

Maybe there will have to be a global ‘people-power” movement – along the lines Porritt predicts in his book where people have had enough and take matters into their own hands.

There’s always hope! – Ken Hickson

Philippines to Poland: Climate Reality Check

Posted by Ken on November 22, 2013
Posted under Express 202

The impact of Super Typhoon Haiyan on the Philippines sparked a humanitarian disaster, with thousands dead and millions affected. While the link between climate change and a single “natural” disaster might be disputed, it is consistent with the reality of an increasing number and more frequent extreme weather events, which climate scientists forecast. Calls have been raised to have developed nations responsible for heavy emissions be held accountable. The Climate Change Conference in Poland got the message. Read more

Philippine typhoon disaster puts focus on climate debt

By CleanBiz.Asia Staff (14 November 2013):

While the aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan (a.k.a. Yolanda) looms large at the UN’s COP19 conference in Warsaw this week, activists in the Philippines are demanding compensation from economically developed countries for the damages experienced in the developing world due to climate change-related disasters.

With a Filipino elected as board co-chairman of the UN’s Green Climate Change Fund – mandated to support developing countries’ shift towards low-emission and climate-resilient development pathways, to the tune of USD100 billion – “climate debt” is on many lips.

“The message is simple: the developed countries should owe to their responsibility of over-emissions of greenhouse gases, which result in bigger, more disastrous storms,” declared Gerry Arances, national co-ordinator of green group Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), at a rally held by Filipino environmentalists in Manila on Monday to coincide with the opening of COP19.

“We bear the brunt. Yolanda is a wakeup call not only for Filipinos, but for these countries as well.”

The demand for accountability was echoed by Philippine President Benigno Aquino during a CNN interview: “Especially to the most developed countries that are contributing immensely to global warming, there has to be a sense of moral responsibility that what they wreak is playing havoc on the lives of so many others incapable of defending themselves,” he said.

Scientific controversy

To what extent climate change “caused” last week’s super typhoon and other recent climate disasters is, however, a matter of considerable scientific debate.

The most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), released in September, found that there was “low confidence in attribution of changes in tropical cyclone activity to human influence” so far. The report also had “low confidence” that there would be increases in intense tropical-cyclone activity over the next few decades, and found that it was “more likely than not” that such a signal would be seen by the end of the 21st century.

On the other hand, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) believes that the effects of climate change are making the impact of severe storms like Typhoon Haiyan worse. It says Australia’s record-breaking summer helped push average global temperatures higher this year, and rising sea levels worsened the situation in the Philippines.

“The impact of this cyclone was definitely significantly more than what it would have been 100 years ago because of the simple mechanical fact that the sea level is higher,” WMO secretary general Michel Jarraud told the ABC on the fringes of COP19. “Storm surges have a much more devastating effect than they would have had decades ago. The same typhoon 50 years ago would have had less impact because the sea level was lower.”

Filipina environmentalist Lidy Nacpil, who is in Warsaw for the UN climate talks, say the US and other developed countries owe countries like the Philippines “a huge climate debt”, according to Philippine social news network Rappler.

Natural commons

Climate debt is based on the idea of “natural commons” which states that the Earth’s atmosphere is collectively owned by all humans. This means its benefits must be shared equally among everyone and responsibility to protect it is also collective.

The concept stems from the idea of ecological debt, first conceptualized in 1999 within the Millennium movement for (financial) debt cancellation. At the COP15 climate summit held four years ago in Copenhagen, the climate debt concept was submitted by Bolivia, with formal support by over 50 countries and the Group of Least Developed Countries.

Total climate debt comprises of two distinct elements: adaptation debt, which represents the compensation owed to the poor for the damages of climate change they have not caused; and emissions debt, which is compensation owed for their fair share of the atmospheric space they cannot use if climate change is to be stopped.

While Bolivia’s climate debt proposal was not accepted for inclusion in the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change – not least because calculating the debt remains the territory of theoreticians – it can be seen as the antecedent of the agreement reached at COP16 in Cancun the following year  to create the Green Climate Fund.

“They’re pledging USD100 billion right now for the Green Climate Fund. But it’s not enough for all the developing countries,” PMCJ’s Arances said.

According to Rappler Joey Salceda, governor of the Philippine’s Albay province and the Asian co-chair of the Green Climate Fund, has remarked that so far, only 2.4 billion pesos (USD55 million) is in the fun d, “a far cry from the 604 billion Peso economic impact it has cost the Philippines, which is equivalent to 5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.”

Coal burners

Those attending the Manila rally on Monday feel the United States should shoulder the greatest share of climate debt. “Around 44 percent of the power supply of the US is from coal. They have the biggest coal industry with 1,400 coal-fired power plants. Imagine the burning they do,” said Arances who initially planned to hold the rally in front of the US Embassy.

In fact, China is, by far, the world’s largest coal consumer, burning about 4 billion tonnes of the back stuff every year, seven times more than the US gets through. With the US shale gas boom coal-fired power plant are giving way to natural gas. Coal now accounts for around 40 percent of the country’s generating capacity, according to the latest statistic from the US Energy Information Administration. This compares to 52.8 in 1997.

Meanwhile, in common with most of Southeast Asia, the Philippines is moving toward an energy market that uses a lot more coal. Meanwhile, in the Philippines the Department of Energy’s outlook is still very much coal-oriented despite the Renewable Energy Act which calls the government to pursue renewable energy and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Source: www.cleanbiz.asia/

Targets & Taxes: Differences in OECD & Japan

Posted by Ken on November 22, 2013
Posted under Express 202

In the effort to tackle climate change, many nations have set greenhouse gases emissions reduction targets, and the most cost-effective way to achieve their targets is through carbon taxes and emissions trading systems, according to a study done by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.  However, it seems that some nations face greater difficulty in meeting their targets compared to others. Japan recently drastically revised its emissions target downwards, as it deemed the previous target “unrealistic”. Given Japan’s status as a major economy and greenhouse gas emitter, this could put a severe setback on the effort to craft a new climate agreement in 2015. Read more

Carbon pricing most cost-effective way to reduce carbon emissions, says OECD

Study finds cost of alternatives such as feed-in tariffs, industry regulation and subsidies can be ‘substantially higher’

By Oliver Milman in The Guardian (5 November 2013):

Carbon taxes and emissions trading systems are the most cost-effective way to reduce emissions and should be “at the centre of government efforts to tackle climate change”, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

An OECD study, called Effective Carbon Prices, found that other policies, such as feed-in tariffs, industry regulation and subsidies, are far less economically preferable than carbon pricing.

The findings are the latest evidence-based blow to the Coalition government’s climate policy, which involves dismantling carbon pricing and replacing it with its Direct Action system of financial handouts to businesses that want to reduce their emissions.

Previous analysis has shown that Direct Action will fail to meet Australia’s bipartisan goal of a 5% emissions cut by 2020 based on 2000 levels. Earlier this week, former treasury secretary Ken Henry ridiculed the Coalition policy as “bizarre”.

The OECD’s ringing endorsement of carbon pricing follows the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, which have both recently backed the system as the best way to slash emissions.

The OECD study looked at climate change policies in 15 countries, including Australia, China and Germany, and their impact on areas including electricity generation, household energy use, road transport and cement manufacturing.

It found that countries would achieve deeper emissions cuts with “smarter, market-based policy instruments” such as carbon taxes and emissions trading systems.

The cost of alternatives to carbon pricing can prove “substantially higher”, according to the OECD, an organisation of 34 of the world’s leading economies. For example, the average cost of reducing a tonne of emissions in the road transport industry is up to eight times more expensive when utilising any method other than fuel taxes.

In the electricity sector, abating a tonne of CO2 cost an average €10, the OECD said, compared to €176 for capital subsidies and €169 for feed-in tariffs.

In a specific analysis of Australia, the OECD found that the average estimated abatement cost in electricity generation is in the “mid-range” of the countries studied and “much less than the high effective carbon prices associated with policy instruments used in some other countries”.

It does point out, however, that feed-in tariffs have not contributed to any additional abatement in Australia, beyond that provided by renewable energy certificates.

The cost of Australia’s carbon price is about 0.04% to 0.05% of GDP, the report found.

“Countries are pricing carbon in a multitude of ways, not always the most effective,” said the OECD secretary-general, Angel Gurría.

“There has been a huge amount of taxing and regulating around carbon, with prices established too high or too low, and the outcome has been far from optimal. This is a chaotic landscape that sends no clear signal, and must be addressed.”

John Connor, CEO of the Climate Institute, told Guardian Australia the OECD analysis was a “pretty emphatic statement” that carbon pricing was the most cost-effective way to reduce emissions.

“When you look worldwide, there’s no risk of Australia showing leadership in putting direct or indirect pricing on carbon,” he said. “It does come back to the question of whether we are serious about keeping to our commitment of preventing 2C or more in warming.”

Connor said he hoped the government’s determination to repeal the carbon price may alter once the “realities of international action start to sink in”.

“One day the majority of the Coalition will wake up and again realise that this is good conservative economic policy that deals with risks in a cost-effective manner,” he said. “It took us five years from ‘never ever’ to the GST being locked in stone, so there is the possibility of a change in this case.”

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/nov/05/carbon-pricing-best-way-to-reduce-carbon-emissions

 

By Monika Scislowska for Associated Press (15 November 2013):

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Japan’s decision to drastically scale back its target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions could hurt efforts to craft a global deal to fight climate change, delegates at U.N. talks said Friday.

The new target approved by the Japanese Cabinet calls for reducing emissions by 3.8 percent from their 2005 level by 2020.

The revision was necessary because the earlier goal of a 25 percent reduction from the 1990 level was unrealistic, the chief government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, told reporters in Tokyo.

The new target represents a 3 percent increase over 1990 emissions.

Given Japan’s status as the world’s third largest economy and fifth largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, the decision to back away from the more ambitious target could be a significant setback for efforts to reach a new global climate agreement in 2015.

The European Union’s delegates at the climate talks in Warsaw ‘‘expressed disappointment,’’ while U.N. climate chief Christiana Figueres summed up the mood by saying there’s ‘‘regret’’ over Japan’s decision.

However, she praised Japan’s advances in increasing energy efficiency and in solar energy investments, and predicted that the Japanese ‘‘will soon see that the current target is actually conservative.’’

‘‘I don’t have any words to describe my dismay,’’ China’s official Xinhua News Agency cited Su Wei, deputy chief of the Chinese delegation to the climate talks, as telling reporters in Warsaw.

Japanese delegate Hiroshi Minami acknowledged that ‘‘most of the developing countries are very disappointed’’ with the move.

Under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, Japan pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 6 percent to 1.186 billion tons a year on average over the five years to March 2013.

It has since opted out of the agreement, though came close to meeting that goal before the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant prompted shut-downs of all nuclear plants for safety checks.

The resulting shift back toward reliance on coal, oil and gas for power, and use of diesel generators, has hindered further progress.

Emissions in the fiscal year that ended in March were up 2.8 percent from the year before, and at 1.207 billion tons, the second highest after a record 1.218 billion tons in fiscal 2007.

Climate activists following the talks in Warsaw named Japan ‘‘fossil of the day,’’ a dubious honor meant to tag a country blocking progress on combating climate change. Dressed up in dark suits to look like Cabinet ministers, the activists ate sushi over colleagues pretending to be victims of the typhoon that has killed thousands of people in the Philippines.

Wael Hmaidan, director of Climate Action Network, called Japan’s move ‘‘outrageous,’’ saying in Warsaw that it will have a ‘‘serious and negative impact on the negotiations.’’

Oxfam spokeswoman Kelly Dent said Japan’s ‘‘dramatic U-turn’’ is a ‘‘slap in the face for poor countries’’ struggling with climate change.

The new goal announced Friday doesn’t take into account possible emissions reductions if Japan restarts some of its nuclear plants, as the government is hoping to do. So it will be revised before the next climate pact is due to be set two years from now, said Masami Tamura, director of the Foreign Ministry’s Climate Change Division.

Tokyo also is planning to provide $16 billion in aid for emissions reductions in developing countries and to commit $110 billion to research on energy and the environment.

Before the Fukushima disaster, Japan’s carbon emissions were on a par with European industrial nations such as France, Germany and Britain.

They will hit 1.227 billion tons this year, the government-affiliated Institute of Energy Economics Japan estimates, up nearly 16 percent from 1990.

Source: http://www.boston.com/

Provide Leadership: Be Prepared, Resilient & Adopt Renewable Energy

Posted by Ken on November 22, 2013
Posted under Express 202

The Obama administration has signalled its commitment in tackling climate change by creating a “Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience”. The task force will provide advice on how the federal government can assist communities nationwide in dealing with the impacts of climate change. A good way to mitigate climate change will be to shift our power source from fossil fuels to renewables. To help renewable energy take off, the editor of CleanTechnica has provided six steps to revolutionise its adoption. Read more

Obama creates climate change task force

By David Jackson in USA TODAY (1 November 2013):

President Obama issued an executive order Friday creating a “Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience.”

The group will “advise the Administration on how the Federal Government can respond to the needs of communities nationwide that are dealing with the impacts of climate change,” said the White House.

The task force will include state, local, and tribal leaders from across the country.

Climate change is a major issue for Obama’s political base, and Democrats are likely to stress it in the 2014 congressional elections.

Obama’s efforts to win congressional legislation on climate change have run afoul of Republicans who say that new environmental regulations would slow the economy.

A new poll, however, indicates that Republicans are divided on the topic.

The Pew Research Center reports that “just 25% of Tea Party Republicans say there is solid evidence of global warming, compared with 61%of non-Tea Party Republicans.

Overall, Pew reported, “two-thirds of Americans (67%) say there is solid evidence that the earth has been getting warmer over the last few decades, a figure that has changed little in the past few years. While partisan differences over climate change remain substantial, Republicans face greater internal divisions over this issue than do Democrats.”

From Obama’s executive order:

“The impacts of climate change — including an increase in prolonged periods of excessively high temperatures, more heavy downpours, an increase in wildfires, more severe droughts, permafrost thawing, ocean acidification, and sea-level rise — are already affecting communities, natural resources, ecosystems, economies, and public health across the Nation. …

“Managing these risks requires deliberate preparation, close cooperation, and coordinated planning by the Federal Government, as well as by stakeholders, to facilitate Federal, State, local, tribal, private-sector, and nonprofit-sector efforts to improve climate preparedness and resilience; help safeguard our economy, infrastructure, environment, and natural resources; and provide for the continuity of executive department and agency (agency) operations, services, and programs.”

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/11/01/obama-climate-change-task-force/3348083/

 

6 Ways to Spark the Clean Energy Revolution

By Tara Lohan for AlterNet (14 November 2013):

Renewable energy sources have made big leaps in the last few years, but we’re still miles away from where we need to be.

This week Filipino diplomat Yeb Sano moved an international delegation to a standing ovation and many to tears as he issued an emotional plea to world leaders to take meaningful action on climate change as his country dug itself out of the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan. Since so little has been accomplished through international climate talks over the last decade, it’s easy to dismiss that avenue as a lost cause.

It may not be a lost cause, but it is most definitely a slow one. Thankfully, it’s not the only way to push the needle forward on climate action. We already know it’s technically possible to make much greater gains in renewable energy, so what’s stopping us?

Renewable energy sources like wind and solar have made big leaps in the last few years, with installation prices falling and demand increasing. But we’re still miles away from where we need to be. So, what can we do to help renewable energy take off in the U.S.? Zachary Shahan, editor of CleanTechnica, has some ideas.

1. Feed in Tariffs

Feed in tariffs (or FITs) are more common in Europe than the U.S., but we’d do well to make them commonplace, especially anywhere the renewable market is still working to gain a foothold. “A FIT program typically guarantees that customers who own a FIT-eligible renewable electricity generation facility, such as a roof-top solar photovoltaic system, will receive a set price from their utility for all of the electricity they generate and provide to the grid,” explains the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

There are a limited number of states in the U.S. using FITs but Dominion Virginia Power will soon be employing a voluntary one for solar photovoltaic systems owned by residential or commercial customers. Here’s what it’s offering: For five years PV owners participating in the program will recieve 15 cents/kilowatthour for electricty provided to the grid from their solar panels; and participants will pay whatever the retail rate is for the electricity they use, which is currently about 10.5 cents/kWh for residential and 7.8 cents/ kWh for commercial customers.

There are other bonuses, too. “One of the wonderful things about FITs is that they enable the renewable energy revolution to be democratized more than almost any other policy,” Shahan told AlterNet. “Also, they can very simply make up for the unpriced externalities of dirty energy sources—decision-makers can just add that missing price into the rates given to renewable energy producers.”

2. Net Metering

Along the same lines as FITs, net metering offers money back to solar owners when they add their electricity to the grid. “While this may often be lower than what is offered through FITs, the policy is implemented in a more stable and long-term fashion, and it still goes a long way in helping owners of renewable energy systems to get their investments back and eventually make money off of their systems,” explains Shahan. “Also, being one of the simplest policies out there, it’s easy to explain, easy to replicate, and hard to deny.” Currently, 43 states in the U.S. have net metering.

3. Solar Leasing

Can’t afford to buy solar panels or don’t want to pay the up-front costs? Solar leasing provides another option. It “allows people to go solar and save money on their electric bills from day one without having to put much (if any) money down and without having to deal with a bank or loan,” said Shahan. “People are very, very attracted to this model, and it dominates in the places where it exists, often accounting for 75 percent or more of the residential solar market.” Solar leasing programs currently exist in California, Arizona, Oregon, Texas, Colorado, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.

4. Solar Gardens

If leasing doesn’t float your boat and you can’t put solar on the roof of you house, here’s another option. In Taos, New Mexico, Kit Carson Electric Co-op, the town’s electricity provider has teamed up with Clean Energy Collective to offer customers a chance to buy panels at a central location to offset their energy bills. As the Taos News reports:

For $845, co-op customers can buy one of 420 panels that will offset their energy use and reduce their monthly cost of electricity. The co-op initially planned to own and operate the community solar project itself, but it was recently handed off to Clean Energy Collective based in Carbondale, Colo. Clean Energy Collective will own the array and sell individual panels. The co-op has agreed to buy power from the array for the next 20 years.

Those who buy a panel won’t literally be getting solar-powered electrons pumped straight to their home or business. Instead, panel owners are credited for the energy their portion of the array puts into the co-op’s grid every month.

The Taos project is just one of many community solar projects. Find more at the Solar Gardens Institute.

5. Cleaner Transportation

If you live in a city and you are able to bike or walk, do it. The fewer cars we have choking up city streets the better. But that also means we need to continue to plan our cities to be safer for both bikes and pedestrians. If you need a little extra help getting from A to B or up some steep hills, check out an electric bike (and coming soon, electric back wheels to power your bicycle). Ride an electric bike and you’ll feel like Superman—plug it in to your solar PVs at home, and you’ve earned yourself the right to wear a cape.

Depending on where you live (outside the realm of existing or decent public transit) and your physical ability, you may be stuck needing a car to get around. Or maybe you just like driving. “I think that cars will be a big part of society indefinitely and need to be much cleaner,” said Shahan, who is in favor of electric cars.

“They’re better than gasmobiles in almost every way. They have better pickup. They drive more smoothly. They are much quieter,” he says. “They are much greener, and do not emit any pollution near the consumer/driver. They are much simpler and require much less maintenance. And many are also cheaper than their gas cousins over the lifetime of ownership, something that will become more and more common. As people come to realize that electric cars are on the road and so much better than gasmobiles, sales will take off. They’re already starting to.”

This doesn’t mean that everyone should run out and buy one. We need more electric options for car sharing and Shahan says he forsees the leasing of electric cars taking off. “Elon Musk, who is the CEO and chairman of Tesla Motors (the world’s leading electric car company) and also the chairman of SolarCity (a leading solar leasing company), has stated that he thinks electric cars will go this leasing route, just as solar has. It matches the reality of how most consumers approach purchases.”

In order for electric cars to truly help support clean energy, we need to be plugging them in to renewable power sources, so their development goes hand-in-hand with PV on our roofs, solar gardens in our communities and clean power plants.

6. Democratiziation of Energy

One of the most important ways for clean energy to be successfull is to get everyone involved. Crowdfunding renewable projects is just getting started with organizations like Mosaic where anyone can invest in a solar project.

But to go the distance it will take putting power, and the decisions about how we get and use our power, into the hands of the people. “Both solar PV and electric cars help the average person to become producers and owners of the energy they use,” said Shahan. “They help to democratize the entire energy industry. The ramifications are immense. They are probably beyond our imagination. This process, though just beginning, is already having a paradigm-shifting effect in some locations, such as solar-leading Germany and Australia. But we’re just at the beginning. The democratization of the energy system is coming like a slow but very powerful wave, and it is going to change the world.”

Tara Lohan, a senior editor at AlterNet, has just launched the new project Hitting Home, chronicling extreme energy extraction. She is the editor of two books on the global water crisis, including most recently, Water Matters: Why We Need to Act Now to Save Our Most Critical Resource. Follow her on Twitter @TaraLohan.

Source: http://www.alternet.org/

Singapore Gives Serious Consideration To Renewable Energy Sources

Posted by Ken on November 22, 2013
Posted under Express 202

A major part of the effort in mitigating climate change lies in the switch from fossil fuels to renewable sources. In Singapore, renewable power may soon make up a bigger slice of the energy mix – by increasing the cap for power generation from solar sources and a simpler registration process, amongst other measures. Another valuable resource of renewable energy could lie in the fruit of a newly developed hybrid plant – dubbed the X Fruit. This fruit could potentially yield 30 times more oil per acre grown than palm oil. Read more

Plan to boost solar power without destabilising grid

By Feng Zengkun and Grace Chua in Straits Times (29 October 2013):

Solar power may be environmentally friendlier than energy derived from coal or gas, but its unreliability could lead to blackouts and power disruptions.

This is why as Singapore ramps up its use of solar panels, the Government is taking steps to ensure that solar power will not risk destabilising the national power grid even if it contributes more electricity to it.

On the first day of the Singapore International Energy Week yesterday, it announced various measures to promote the use of intermittent energy sources, such as almost doubling the cap for power generation here from such sources.

These sources cannot be controlled at will since the amount of energy generation depends on factors such as the weather.

In Singapore, the only intermittent energy source connected to the national grid is solar power.

Opening the week’s Singapore Energy Summit, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office S.Iswaran launched a consultation paper to seek views on proposed changes to the rules governing such sources here.

Among the proposed changes: a simpler registration process for people with small intermittent energy generators such as solar panels.

The Energy Market Authority (EMA) is also considering allowing intermittent energy sources to supply more power to the grid.

Currently, they can supply no more than 350MW, which is about 5per cent of last year’s peak electricity demand. Solar panels installed here as of June this year can generate at most about 12MW.

The cap lessens the impact on the grid in case, say, sudden cloud cover causes solar panel output to drop quickly. Reserve power from traditional sources is therefore needed to ensure stability.

However, the EMA noted that the cap may restrict the installation of intermittent energy sources in future.

It proposed an alternative and flexible system.

“But as a first step, the cap will be raised to 600 (MW), in view of our current reserves,” said Mr Iswaran.

The EMA also plans to allow large consumers to voluntarily cut their electricity demand for short periods in response to high prices during peak usage to help lower their energy costs and reap other benefits.

The change is expected in 2015.

Mr Iswaran, who is also Second Minister for Trade and Industry, also announced plans to test a futures market for electricity early next year.

If the trial is successful, a futures market will be set up in the second half of the year.

Six power generation companies – Keppel Merlimau, Sembcorp, Senoko Energy, Tuas Power Generation, Tuaspring and YTL PowerSeraya – had already signed on to work with the Singapore Exchange to develop a futures market, Mr Iswaran said.

But the futures market will be carefully structured, he added. “We do not want it to become the object of speculative activity and we’re quite clear about that.”

Source: www.nccs.gov.sg

 

X Fruit: New low carbon biofuel can produce 30 times more oil than palm oil

By Candice Neo for Ana Shell Media (8 November 2013):

A newly developed hybrid plant has the potential to take the world by storm as a clean source of energy with zero emissions– and it can produce up to 33,000 liters of oil, 30 times the yield from palm oil.

With pollution from burning fossil fuels causing major concerns globally, many environmental activists have been advocating the use of cleaner fuels, whether it’s LNG, solar energy or biofuels. Some have immersed themselves in research in hopes of discovering a replacement for fossil fuels.

Dato’ Sri Tan Hoe Beng is one such environmentalist. Based in Kuantan, Pahang in Malaysia, he managed to develop a hybrid biofuel plant that can produce up to 30 times more oil per acre than palm oil. Unlike palm oil, of which five percent is mixed with 95 percent fossil fuel before it can be used, this plant, which he named the X Fruit, does not need to be blended with fossil fuels, and can be used all by itself.

Launched at the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW), a video at the X Fruit exhibition booth showed the nut at the heart of the fruit being burnt for several minutes.

“You can even use it for barbeque, for everyday use,” says Dato’ Sri Tan.

Not only does the X Fruit have aromatic qualities that make it suitable for the production of essential oils for skin care and cosmetics, but it is also edible, with high levels of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids.

But most importantly, the oil produced can be used as a fuel for transport.

“I hope this can create a solution to climate change and the energy crisis we are facing now,” says Dato’ Sri Tan, who has worked on this fruit for nearly a decade.

He went on to explain how he was greatly motivated by the need to develop a clean source of fuel. “Climate change is something that affects all of us,” he says. “And I hope this is something that can have a global impact, [and] actually significantly reduce carbon emissions.”

To confirm the qualities of the fruit, Dato’ Sri brought it to Singapore for testing. An analysis of the X Fruit carried out by Dr. Vitali Lipik at the Nanyang Technological University showed that it contains proteins, hydrocarbons, aromatic and poly-aromatic compounds, and does not contain inorganic components and phosphorus, which makes it ideal to be used as a fuel.

Its 60 percent oil content (palm oil has 20 percent oil content) is also thought to be higher than any other oil bearing fruit or nut. The yield of this fruit is also 10 times that of the fruit of oil palms, at 50 metric tonnes of fruit per year.

The fruit is also found to have a very high calorific value, more than 30 megajoules per kilogram, which is higher than the best coal in the world, according to Dato’ Sri Tan.

He is getting more tests done by a university research center in China as well as a leading energy researcher based in Singapore, Dr. Jeff Obbard.

Throughout his 10 years of working on the fruit, Dato’ Sri Tan has ensured its perfection.

Initially, the tree was four stories high, which posed a practical problem for fruit collection. He then modified it such that it is now much shorter.

Growing the tree is also not much of an issue. “It can grow in land that’s not very fertile,” admits Dato’ Sri Tan. “It’s only during the sapling stage that tender care needs to be given to the plant.” He adds that he has nurseries to ensure that the plants grow in optimal conditions.

The businessman has done his best to ensure that the X Fruit is up to international environmental and sustainability standards by enlisting the help of sustainability consultant Ken Hickson of Sustain Ability Showcase Asia (SASA). Hickson is also the author of such books as ‘The ABC of Carbon’ and ‘Race for Sustainability’.

Currently, he reveals that there are keen investors, some of whom are even governments, but he refuses to name anyone. “At this stage, nothing is confirmed yet, so we can’t announce anything officially,” he says.

Source: www.anashell.com/

Armstrong Invests in Clean Energy, As Green Climate Fund Lags Behind

Posted by Ken on November 22, 2013
Posted under Express 202

Reducing climate changing greenhouse gases is an imperative of both developed and developing nations. However, developing nations often lack the financial resources to effectively manage their emissions or to develop renewable energy capacity. As such, financial assistance, through inter-governmental organisations such as the United Nation’s new Green Climate Fund is needed. While it is taking time to get under way,  the private sector is not holding back. Armstrong Asset Management has shown with the successful  US$164 “close” of its Clean Energy Fund, which has already started investing in South East Asia projects. Read more

Green climate fund can power poor countries

By Paul Brown in RenewEconomy (4 November 2013):

LONDON – A vast program of financing solar, wind and other renewable electricity technologies for developing countries using the UN’s new Green Climate Fund is proposed this week.

The Fund is currently being set up by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to “provide support to developing countries to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions” as well as to help them to adapt to global warming.

UN’s new Green Climate Fund provides support to developing countries to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions” as well as to help them to adapt to global warming.

The report by the World Future Council says providing feed-in tariffs for developing countries so that they can finance setting up large-scale renewable systems and feed electricity to their grids is the best way forward for the fund.

Feed-in tariffs provide the owners of small or large-scale wind and solar arrays with a guaranteed price for electricity over 20 years, so the investor is certain to get a return on their capital. The scheme has worked in developed countries like Germany and Italy to rapidly boost renewable output.

Pilot projects

If the same system was introduced into developing countries, the report says, it would be an important step in keeping the world’s temperature from exceeding a 2°C increase over pre-industrial levels, the limit set by politicians as the threshold of unacceptably dangerous climate change.

Although the Green Climate Fund is still not operational, the report says that a one billion euro ($1.36B) fund should be made available as soon as possible for pilot projects in three countries to test the feed-in tariff scheme.

These would be for three classes of countries, starting with one of the least developed states and two that are more advanced but still in need of power. That would test how the scheme would work and who would benefit most from it, and would eliminate some of the teething problems. Depending on the technology chosen, this money could fund between one and three megawatts of clean power.

That way any glitches could be discovered and then corrected when a much larger amount of funding became available. Hundreds of wind, solar, energy-efficient biomass and small hydropower projects could then be financed in the same way.

Disrepute

Axel Michaelowa and Stephan Hoch say in the report, Fit for Renewables?, that their scheme needs tight controls to make sure that money is not wasted.

Although they do not mention the criticism of the Convention’s Clean Development Mechanism, where carbon credits have been claimed for dubious projects, they do not want another UNFCCC scheme designed to help developing countries to fall into disrepute.

They acknowledge that one of the problems of getting feed-in tariffs right is that the price of renewables, particularly solar, is falling all the time. If the support price is set too high there is a massive uptake and the country concerned is locked into paying too high a price for electricity. If the price is cut too quickly then the industry judders to a halt and many are thrown out of work, a situation that occurred in the United Kingdom.

An added problem in developing countries is making sure that the national or local grid can take up and use the electricity generated. Some developed countries have already had difficulties with this, so sorting out the grid must be part of any financing package, the report says.

The authors say the Green Climate Fund needs to look at all these aspects and develop a transparent system that prevents overfunding of schemes and builds trust, so that industrialized countries provide sufficient money.

The report envisages 100 gigawatts of electricity being funded in this way by 2020 – the equivalent of the output of 100 large-scale coal-fired power plants. This would cost 1.3 billion euros ($1.75B) a year to fund, sustained over two decades.

Paul Brown is a joint editor for Climate News Network. Climate News Network is a news service led by four veteran British environmental reporters and broadcasters. It delivers news and commentary about climate change for free to media outlets worldwide.

Source: http://reneweconomy.com.au/

 

Armstrong’s cleantech breakthrough

By Andrew Woodman in Asian Venture Capital Journal (14 November 2013):

When it took its maiden Southeast Asia Clean Energy Fund on the road mid 2011, Armstrong Asset Management was sailing into unchartered waters. While there have been other renewable energy funds active in the region, many have benefited from either a broader geographic or sector focus.

“There was no benchmark for private equity in dedicated clean energy funds for Southeast Asia,” says Andrew Affleck, Armstrong’s managing partner, speaking of initial challenges in raising the fund. “Investors needed to see a number of the macro drivers for renewable in Southeast Asia in order to get comfortable outside of our team’s ability to deploy money.”

These drivers included the evolution of government policy in support of renewable energy and the gradual fall in cost for items like solar panels, which have helped make renewable energy projects a more viable proposition.

It is against this backdrop that the fund – which officially launched in May 2012 – managed to find its initial commitments from a handful of European development finance institutions (DFIs) such as GEEREF and DEG, and an Asian-based corporation, leading to a first close last August.

International Finance Corporation (IFC) soon followed, committing $20 million in May.

Then, with additional pledges from French DFI Proparco and Geneva-based Unigestion, the fund was able to surpass its initial target of $150 million, reaching final close of $164 million. In total, Armstrong has signed up 10 investors from Europe, North America and Asia.

The 10-year fund will provide development capital to small-scale renewable energy and resource efficiency projects in Southeast Asia. Typical projects will generate power of up to 10 megawatts from renewable energy resources, such as solar, hydro and wind.

The fund will makes 10-15 investments of $5-25 million each, although this could increase with co-investment.

“This is a sector that has huge need and potential scale,” Affleck explains, “so $164 million is really a drop in the ocean to what could be needed. Having partners like IFC, DEG and other DFIs that would willingly be involved in co-investment is real bonus for us and for the developers we are currently talking to.”

The fund has backed two projects so far. In August, it announced a commitment of up to $30 million to Annex Power to finance the development of solar photovoltaic and biogas power projects in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Three months earlier, it took a 60% interest in Symbior Elements to develop and operate solar projects in Thailand. Affleck adds that Armstrong has number of deal in its pipeline in Indonesia.

“The majority of our pipeline is across Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, mostly because that is where we have seen the more advance policies towards supporting private investment in renewables,” he adds. “However, we are also seeing a number of deals in Vietnam and Cambodia.”

Source: www.avcj.com

What’s This Got to Do with Climate Change or Sustainability? Plenty!

Posted by Ken on November 22, 2013
Posted under Express 202

Climate change is connected to more than just the weather system and sea levels; some can even be quite surprising to the general observer! Take for example the connection to obesity. Though it may seem quite a stretch at first, evidence has suggested that current food production, transport, land use and urban design negatively impact both climate change and obesity outcomes. Another obscure connection is the one between climate change and rural development. With careful planning, rural landscape can be managed to optimise both climate-change mitigation and adaptation. Read more

By Batya Swift Yasgur in MPR Monthly Prescribing Reference (MPR) (15 November 2013):

Are Obesity and Climate Change Connected?

Obesity and climate change are two of the most pressing modern challenges.1 On the surface, there appears to be no connection between them, beyond their coexistence as major threats to global health and sustainability.

However, recent research suggests a causal bidirectional link between obesity and climate change. Mounting evidence suggests that “current food production, transport, land use and urban design negatively impact both climate change and obesity outcomes.”2 A recent article by Webb and Egger1 explores this connection.

Environmental Impact of Obesity

More than one-third of U.S. adults and approximately 17% of children and adolescents are obese.3 According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.4 billion adults worldwide were overweight in 2008. Over 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese. Overweight and obesity have nearly doubled since 1980 and have become the fifth largest cause of global mortality.4

The behaviors of obese individuals impact the environment.5,6 For example, many obese individuals are sedentary.7 Physical activity “is replaced by carbon-emitting, fossil fuel-powered transport.”1

Obese individuals tend to have highly processed diets, which have a deleterious impact on the environment. For example, in comparison with the highly processed Westernized diets, more traditional plant-based diets are associated with fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.8

Populations with a higher percentage (more than 40%) of overweight individuals have a 19% increase in total energy expenditure associated with adiposity.1

A similar relationship exists between unhealthful diets and their impact on body weight. Plant-based diets are associated with lower rates of obesity.9 It follows that a “positive shift” toward a more plant-based diet should “not only reduce body weight but also contribute to reducing an individual’s carbon footprint and hence, environmental impact.”1

The Impact of Climate Change on Obesity

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “global temperatures are rising, snow and rainfall patterns are shifting, and more extreme climate events—like heavy rainstorms and record high temperatures—are already affecting society and ecosystems.”10

These changes “can be linked to the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, caused largely by people burning fossil fuels to generate electricity, heat and cool buildings, and power vehicles.”10

Extreme climate events affect eating and shopping behaviors. One mechanism is “food insecurity”—a perception of “limited or uncertain access to adequate food,” which can cause people to make unhealthful food-related decisions.11 The insecurity is realistic, since anthropogenic climate change leads to scarcity and higher food prices.11

In particular, this affects individuals in lower socioeconomic circumstances. After a climatic hazard event, households with limited pre-hazard resources are less able to effectively maintain food security.12 Typically, individuals with food insecurity are more likely to purchase lower-priced highly processed foods that contribute to obesity.11

Seeking Solutions

Webb and Egger note that public health campaigns “have not translated into common practice.” The authors suggest that the reason for this “disconnect” is “rapid changes to the macro- and microenvironments through economic development, which overwhelms these health messages.” The “obesogenic” environment continues to “hold the balance of power” in the war against obesity.

Interventions often target corporations,13 forcing them to be responsible and find “greener,” more environmentally friendly alternatives. But interventions targeting corporations are insufficient, since 40-50% of GHG emissions come from individuals and households.14

Personal Carbon Trading (PCT) is a system that engages individuals in reducing emissions,15 and emission-reducing behaviors also lead to obesity-reducing behaviors. PCT is designed to “entice individuals to have more responsibility for their own carbon-related… and… health-related behavior”1 by giving individuals a personal carbon allowance.

This approach is being studied on Norfolk Island, a self-governing Australian protectorate. Researchers are investigating the possible impact of a PCT system on obesity-related behaviors.16

After completing a baseline survey, residents received electronic “carbon cards,” which will record in real-time carbon-related behaviors (eg, use of fuel, power, and electricity and—in the second phase of the trial—food purchasing). Participants will be offered a hypothetical financial incentive or disincentive as a way of testing out the concept of a PCT.

Data are currently being prepared for publication and results are pending.

Conclusion

Webb and Egger suggest that while a PCT intervention is “unlikely” to independently solve population obesity, it does “have the potential to positively influence the macro environment, a key construct of the epidemiological triad.”

They call for collaboration between health and environmental scientists to “communicate and support cross disciplinary initiatives and messages around climate change and obesity management.”

References

1. Webb GJ, Egger G. Obesity and climate change: can we link the two and can we deal with both together? Am J Lifestyle Med. September 12, 2013.

2. Skouteris H, Cox R, Huang T, et al. Promoting obesity prevention together with environmental sustainability. Health Promot Int. 2013 Feb 7. [Epub ahead of print]

3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overweight and obesity. (2013) Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/facts.html. Accessed: October 10, 2013.

4. World Health Organization. Obesity and overweight. (2013) Available at: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/. Accessed: October 11, 2013.

5. Faergeman O. Climate change and preventive medicine. Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil. 2007;14(6):726-729.

6. Egger G, Pearson S, Pal S, Swinburn B. Dissecting obesogenic behaviours: the development and application of a test battery for targeting prescription for weight loss. Obesity Rev. 2007;8(6):481-486.

7. Endocrine Society. Obesity in America. (2013) Available at: http://obesityinamerica.org/understanding-obesity/. Accessed: October 11, 2013.

8. Eshel G. Martin PA. Diet, energy and global warming. Earth Interact.2006;1099:1-17.

9. Campbell TC, Campbell TM. The China Study: Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, and Long-Term Health. Dallas, TX: BenBella Books, 2007.

10. United States Environmental Protection Agency (2012). Climate change indicators in the United States. Available at: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/indicators/. Accessed: November 11, 2013.

11. Lake IR, Hooper L, Asmaa A, et al. Climate Change and Food Security: Health Impacts in Developed Countries. Environ Health Perspect. 2012;120(11):1520–1526.

12. Sherman M, Ford JD. Market engagement and food insecurity after a climatic hazard. Global Food Security. 2013;2(3): 144–155.

13. Leiserowitz A, Maibach E, Roser-Renouf C, et al. Global Warming’s Six Americas in September 2012. Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Project on Climate Change Communication. http://environment.yale.edu/climate-communication/files/Six-Americas-September-2012.pdf. Accessed August 5, 2013.

14. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Climate change: synthesis report. 2001. http://www.grida.no/publications/other/ipcc_tar/?src_/climate/ipcc_tar/vol4/english/.  Accessed October 11, 2013.

15. Fawcett T. Personal carbon trading: a policy ahead of its time? Energy Policy. 2010;38:6868-6876.

16. Norfolk Island Carbon Health Evaluation (NICHE) Study. Available at: www.niche.nlk.nf. Accessed: October 11, 2013.

Source: http://www.empr.com/

 

Combining climate-change adaptation and mitigation: a win-win option

By Barbara Fraser for Center for International Forestry Research (16 November 2013):

Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

 

Although rural landscapes can be managed to optimize both climate-change mitigation and adaptation, many climate-oriented development projects fail to take advantage of the combined benefits, according to Bruno Locatelli, a scientist with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and Agricultural Research for Development (CIRAD).

With careful planning, landscapes can be managed to emphasize the synergies between adaptation and mitigation while balancing the trade-offs, he said at a conference at the Tropical Agriculture Research and Higher Education Center (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza, CATIE) in Costa Rica in October.

“There’s huge potential for integrating adaptation and mitigation in the 235 projects we reviewed worldwide, but project documents often don’t mention reasons for doing so,” Locatelli told participants at the seventh Henry A. Wallace Inter-American Scientific Conference, marking the 40th anniversary of CATIE’s founding.

Mitigation, which involves reducing or offsetting greenhouse gas emissions, and adaptation, which refers to adjustments to reduce the impact of climate change, are often pigeonholed separately, he said.

But rural landscapes contribute to both adaptation and mitigation, absorbing and storing carbon while buffering the effects of climate change and enabling farmers to diversify their livelihoods.

Rural development projects focusing on adaptation could easily incorporate mitigation strategies, Locatelli said.

For example, a project designed to help farmers increase resilience to climate change and diversify their income might include watershed restoration to protect against flooding. Because any trees planted for such a restoration would have the added benefit of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions by storing carbon, a mitigation strategy could be added to the adaptation plan.

But adaptation and mitigation do not always coincide perfectly, Locatelli said.

If those trees are in a plantation, there could be unintended consequences. For example, decreased water availability, increased runoff during storms or the use of agricultural chemicals could pose hazards to people downstream.

And though conserving a forest may enable a local community to receive compensation for reduced deforestation under the U.N.-backed scheme REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation), it might also include restrictions that would limit people’s access to forest products that are important for their livelihoods and for coping with climate variations, Locatelli said.

“You need to look at both the synergies and the trade-offs,” he said.

Complicating matters is the lack of real-life data to guide project design and policy decisions. When Locatelli reviewed 139 papers about climate-change adaptation and mitigation, he found 64 that mentioned reasons for integrating mitigation and adaptation in projects, but only 11 papers actually studied existing climate-change projects.

That means many projects probably are being designed and launched without the support of adequate scientific evidence, he said. Some of those knowledge gaps could be filled if project leaders had common systems for gathering on-the-ground data, which could then be shared, he said.

Several steps are already being taken in that direction. The Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standards “identify projects that simultaneously address climate change, support local communities and conserve biodiversity,” according to the organization.

Local communities in particular stand to benefit from a combination of adaptation and mitigation measures, Locatelli said.

“If you add adaptation measures to REDD+ projects, you can address equity, increase stakeholder participation and make the project more acceptable to local communities. Combining adaptation and mitigation addresses sustainability in a more holistic way.”

Mitigation and adaptation measures are on the agenda at U.N. climate talks in Warsaw. Potential benefits of combining adaptation and mitigation strategies will also be discussed at the Global Landscapes Forum from November 16 to 17, which coincides with the U.N. climate summit.

For more information on the topics discussed in this article, please contact b.locatelli@cgiar.org

This work forms part of the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry and is supported by AusAid CIFOR-REDD+ research partnership.

Source: http://www.trust.org/

The Right Ingredients for Achieving Results in Sustainability Leadership

Posted by Ken on November 22, 2013
Posted under Express 202

The challenges faced by businesses are no different from sustainability challenges – to innovate effectively across countries in a complex business environment, understand different cultural contexts and make the most out of our diverse workforce.  Thus, to create a better and more sustainable world, it is important to place leadership in the context of sustainability. To start with, here are some ingredients for future-oriented, high quality leadership programmes that integrate sustainability issues. Read more

Ten ingredients for embedding sustainability into leadership

If we care about the future leadership development must be linked with sustainability, writes Petra Kuenkel

By Petra Kuenkel in Guardian Professional (15 November 2013):

About ten years ago I ran an international leadership development program for multinational companies for those with high potential.

What struck me years later was the impact of the programme: about half of the participants left their companies. Why? Did we awaken deep desires that lead to different career choices? Did the programme alienate them from the dominant culture of their company?

These unanswered questions have accompanied me ever since. I talked to a number of the participants years later and discovered that there was indeed a connection between their career turn and the leadership programme.

The training worked with a mix of a dialogic approach, reflection techniques and personal development methods as well as systemic change management – all of it, no doubt, needed in the large companies where the participants worked. They all said they benefitted but it also pushed them to ask or rephrase important questions such as: what is important? Why am I here? Why am I doing this? It opened them to an unknown territory and initiated greater awareness of their true responsibility in the world. Great impact. But not the impact I wanted.

I realised that there was a missing piece in the programme. We stirred up questions of meaning, but we did not show where the opportunities were to get these questions answered. Today, ten years on in the global sustainability discussion and the answer is there – if you want to learn to lead better, place your leadership in the context of sustainability. Sustainability is a leadership task. It creates meaning. It creates a better world. Can we afford to delink leadership development and sustainability purpose? Is it even possible to separate the ‘how’ of leadership from the ‘what for’ and ‘where to’?

If you read a few annual business strategy reports from large corporations you find a collection of the following issues: we need to build on connectivity and collaborate to adapt to volatile markets. We need to innovate effectively across countries in a complex business environment, understand different cultural contexts and make the most out of our diverse workforce. We need to think globally and find quick solutions to local challenges making sure that the learning is distributed fast across the entire company.

Are these business challenges not similar to sustainability challenges? The logical conclusion is that we integrate what belongs together – leadership development and sustainability issues. It would move the planet in the right direction and retain people in their jobs who are searching for meaning in their companies – bringing the agenda forward together. It would also encourage more leaders to do the work that needs to be done anyway – change their organisation towards sustainable business action.

There a few pioneering examples of institutions that focus on sustainability leadership – Transformational Leadership Institute, Youth Leadership Scool, One Planet Leaders, LEAD – but this is not enough. We need to get sustainability centre stage in leadership development. These are my top ten ingredients for future-oriented, high quality leadership programmes that integrate sustainability issues:

1. Show that the global trends are all in one way or another related to sustainability and raise the awareness that sustainability is not only a business opportunity, but the only choice.

2. Help leaders to step into the unknown, go beyond their comfort zone and create business opportunities out of sustainability challenges.

3. Create meaning and open up minds to new questions by fostering reflection and dialogue – accessing one’s own humanity is a prerequisite for leading towards sustainability.

4. Demonstrate practically how collective intelligence works in fast and efficient problem solving.

5. Teach leaders the art of engaging with stakeholders as a cornerstone for successful collaboration while working on real issues leaders are dealing with.

6. Show that complexity is the future normality and teach leaders how to juggle with it successfully rather than fight or reduce it.

7. Offer leaders the experience that innovation is not something allocated to specific people but a competence leaders must both harvest in themselves and foster in others. For this they encourage inventiveness and iterative learning.

8. Foster essential skills for adaptability including seeing change as inevitable and finding ways to partner with it.

9. Illustrate practically how mutual support rather than competition helps perform better.

10. Communicate that personal mental and physical balance are part of sustainability and equip participants with tools to get this back on their agenda regularly.

From all walks of life, from business, civil society, governments and committed individuals, comes a sincere attempt to put the future of humankind and of this planet on the agenda and to keep it there. It is time this trend gets fully taken up and mainstreamed in leadership programs.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/