News Article - 10 February 2010
Category: Environment

The EU has pledged to reduce carbon emissions by 20% within ten years, in addition to a further 10% conditional on other high-polluting nations following suit. Under the terms of the Copenhagen Accord, agreed at the Copenhagen Summit held last December, countries are expected to formally submit their climate targets to further the creation of a binding global agreement.

Heavy criticism at the Copenhagen Summit was directed at countries who failed to indicate the carbon reduction targets they were working towards. Whilst many acknowledged the urgent need for carbon reduction, none of the 28 countries present made firm commitments. Collectively these nations produce an estimated 80% of the Earth's carbon output.

The EU's targets are based on the widely-cited view that global temperature increases must not exceed two degrees if severe climate change is to be averted. Following the announcement, EU president Jose Barasso urged nations who had not yet submitted their carbon reduction targets to do so as quickly as possible.

As countries start to pledge binding commitments to carbon reduction, the likelihood of a global agreement increases. The lack of a binding global agreement is seen as one of the main reasons why the climate change agenda has failed to gain worldwide traction. Now that more countries are pledging support, efforts to tackle carbon output may become more united.

Businesses watching closely may be concerned countries making binding carbon reduction pledges will soon commit them to climate action initiatives. Governments that do commit to aggressive targets will inevitably turn to the biggest polluters to maximise carbon reduction. Medium-sized companies are likely to face pressure from larger companies in the supply chain to reduce the environmental impact of their business activities.

With such aggressive targets being proposed, companies will need to ensure their carbon reduction programmes achieve maximum efficiency to keep up with the global pace of the climate change agenda. Increased pressure will inevitably put a strain on resources, which may already be stretched as the economic downtime reverses and organisations face stiff competition for market share. Reporting carbon emissions is an essential step: unless businesses can see the most carbon-intensive areas of operation and the results achieved by carbon reduction policies, it will be difficult to achieve the efficiency necessary to drive behavioural change.

Access can advise companies on the way its Accounting for Carbon Emissions software solution can help organisations easily measure and monitor their carbon output. Please call 0845 345 3300 for more information.

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