NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Monday, May 23, 2005

Article 13, the leading specialists on governance, business responsibility and sustainable development, have published the report, ?Climate Change and Poverty: A Business Opportunity?? as a contribution to the ongoing debate about how business can contribute ? beyond pure philanthropy ? to addressing these two problems.
The report contains a wealth of original material: a survey of FTSE-500 chief executives on their current approaches and expectations of future developments; interviews with leading UK-based companies such as Shell, HBOS and British Airways; a unique survey into the views of young managers and future business leaders; and the results of a series of workshops with academics, business experts, government ministers and civil servants.
Some outline findings:
* 70% of chief executives surveyed are concerned about climate change, with business sustainability narrowly ahead of cost implications as the highest risk factor.
* Few chief executives are spending time addressing global poverty, but 52% of future leaders believe this will be a very significant issue for business in the long term.
* There is a consensus that the two issues are linked via the issue of global economic development and that climate change will hurt the poor in developing countries hardest.
* There are companies which have taken a very proactive role in addressing these issues and see real business benefits, beyond reputational effects.
Press release found here.