The Magazine of Corporate Responsibility

Tag Archive for ‘Global Warming’

Is Ethanol Better for Environment Than Gasoline?

Ethanol—a biofuel derived from corn and other feedstocks—is already playing a major role in helping to reduce emissions from many of the traditional gasoline-powered cars on the road today. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, nearly half of all the gasoline sold in the U.S. contains up to 10 percent ethanol, which not only boosts octane but also helps meet federally mandated air quality requirements.

Which Woods Can You Use and Not Harm Forests?

Wood products are essential to modern life. Without wood we wouldn’t have the buildings, furniture, paper and other essentials we make use of every day. That’s why protecting sources of wood has become a leading concern among not just environmentalists but everyone else as well.

Climate Change: Copenhagen’s Misssed Opportunity

Hopes were high that international negotiators in Copenhagen last December would be able to hammer out a strong agreement to once and for all take the climate beast by the horns and begin to reign in carbon emissions worldwide. But a new binding formal agreement was not to be, mostly because of conflicting priorities among participating countries.

Working to Save the World’s Oceans

Our oceans are in a terrible state, thanks primarily to unrestrained commercial and industrial activity. Overfishing and pollution have decimated once abundant stocks of fish and other marine life, and the damaging practices continue to this day despite international agreements outlawing them.

Game Change: Environmentalists Advise WalMart on Sustainability

When the Environmental Defense Fund first fought for a ban on the pesticide DDT more than 40 years ago, the non-profit organization went to court and sued. Times have changed. These days, EDF staff members work directly with companies like WalMart to address sustainability issues.

Will More Electric Cars Increase Reliance on Coal?

The advent of electric cars is not necessarily a boon for the environment if it means simply trading our reliance on one fossil fuel—oil, from which gasoline is distilled—for an even dirtier one: coal, which is burned to create electricity.

Climate Change: Will Carbon Tax Unite ExxonMobil and Its Critics?

The only hope for a new carbon-cutting law from the U.S. Congress in 2010 could involve what has long been thought of as the least politically viable approach: a tax on carbon. But achieving that might very well require an alliance of strange bedfellows – including environmental advocates and ExxonMobil, long a chief climate change skeptic.

BOOKS: Environmental Disasters as Case Studies in “This Borrowed Earth”

Robert Emmet Hernan provides a frightening catalog of detail in his new book, “This Borrowed Earth: Lessons from the 15 Worst Environmental Disasters around the World.” Hernan’s message is simple: “If we forget how and why these disasters happened and what horrible consequences emerged from them, we will not avert future disasters.”

SEC Votes for Improved Disclosure on Climate Risk

In an action hailed by environmental groups as “ground-breaking,” the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission voted to provide guidance to publicly-listed companies regarding the level and quality of their disclosures on climate change and its “material” impact on their businesses.