COP15: From Start to Business

Since some of my regular media sources have helped awaken me from my complacency regarding climate change, I’d like to retrace my steps through a few of the articles that particularly caught my attention. In the days leading up to the COP15 conference, the Mainichi Daily News printed an excellent summary of the consequences of our failure to live up to the Kyoto Protocol, whether we live in a country that ratified it or not. If you’re feeling a little rusty, it’s a great place to start.

The first day of COP15, I opened The Toronto Star to see that they had joined 55 newspapers around the world to call for a meaningful declaration by the end of the conference. This front page editorial was buttressed by a number of articles on that and subsequent days written by a variety of columnists who have earned my respect over the last few years for their balanced perspectives and insightful analysis of events. While advocacy journalism might make some people feel uncomfortable, I felt it was an important gesture that underlined the urgency of this issue.

Business columnist David Olive contrasted the string of commitments from a wide variety of countries at the first day of the conference with Canada’s reluctance to get involved, likening us to an “ant at the picnic.” The worst part is that we seem to be fretting about possible lost economic opportunities and ignoring the ones to be gained from investments in green technology. There are investment opportunities to be had in countries that take the initiative to develop the technologies required to reduce carbon emissions while still feeding our insatiable need for power and maintain our current lifestyles.

John Wiebe, head of GLOBE Foundation of Canada, also weighed in with a piece essentially saying that business is just waiting for the rules to be set so that they can compete on a level playing field with other corporations. With the exception of select oil companies who apparently see themselves as fossil fuel providers (Exxon) and not energy providers (BP), I believe Wiebe when he says business is ready to take action on climate change. Through the centuries, businesses have demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt to consumer needs and legal frameworks to make profits. In fact, in David Olive's column mentioned above, he cited a study by U.S. Congress that suggests that the U.S.’s emission reduction proposal’s “impact on GDP would be a reduction in growth of just one-twentieth of one percent over the next 40 years.” A study like this only strengthens my belief that businesses will continue to run profitable enterprises even in a world committed to reducing carbon emissions.

So if business is on board with combatting climate change, then who is to blame for all the footdragging? I have a finger to point tomorrow.