Net Zero, Climate Positive – the theme of the 2013 Business for the Environment (B4E) Climate Summit in London this week – should be the driving force for the business community.
That was the message beamed out after Day One of the conference. Instead of focusing purely on profit, businesses need to consider sustainability first and foremost. And fast.
As one of the speakers, Tom Burke, Environmental Policy Advisor at Rio Tinto, put it: “We have lots of tools. What we don’t have much of is time.”
Those tools include technology, ingenuity, innovation and the desire for change.
The international conference brings together world leaders, CEOs, senior executives and industry experts to share ideas and commit to solutions which address the most urgent environmental challenges facing the world today.
Jerry Hardcastle, Nissan’s Chief Marketability Engineer and Technical Director for Global Motorsport, revealed how motor racing – not usually regarded as the most climate friendly sport in the world – is driving efficiencies. For example, the 2014 generation of F1 racing engines, one of which is currently being developed by Renault, will be far more efficient than current engines.
He also revealed the Alliance is using motor sport to speed up development of the next generation of electric vehicles, notably regarding the efficiency of the motors and the batteries to provide a greater range.
One of the other companies involved in the Summit, HP, is also promoting sustainability and is actively seeking ways to make its customers use their products more efficiently to help save resources. And saving resources will help sustain the business.
According to the organisers of the summit: “The urgency of the global climate challenge has driven a surge in innovation and the creation of new and profitable business opportunities across a range of industry sectors.”
Food for thought… Come back for more from the Summit as it goes into Day Two.
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