Companies Cannot Sweep Climate Change Under the Rug

Mar 11, 2011 4:15 PM ET
Campaign: GE Citizenship

Companies Cannot Sweep Climate Change Under the Rug - from GreenBiz

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In Australia, epic floods and drought have caused billions of dollars in economic losses and helped send food, coal and other global commodity prices through the roof. In China, melting glaciers have contributed to a drop in water supplies comparable to the entire flow of the Mississippi River. In the western U.S., warmer temperatures and the spread of destructive insect pests have ravaged millions of acres of valuable forest; Colorado alone lost 100,000 spruce trees a day last year from spruce tree infestation.

Scientists have been warning for years that the frequency of these extreme weather events will only increase as we continue to emit more carbon pollution into the atmosphere.

And while U.S. policymakers run away from carbon-reducing policies, the rest of the world embraces them. India is now levying a carbon tax on coal producers. Brazil passed a law requiring 32 emission-reducing activities. And China, of course, is already dominating the wind and solar industries and its largest industries have low-carbon strategies in place.

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GE (NYSE: GE) is an advanced technology, services and finance company taking on the world’s toughest challenges. Dedicated to innovation in energy, health, transportation and infrastructure, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.
 
Citizenship at GE is more than a program or a set of good intentions - it is a full-time commitment built upon cultural behaviors and actions. These actions are integrated with business strategy and have defined goals, strategies and metrics that make it actionable and accountable.
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