Business Innovation to Fight Climate Change and Poverty: Resource List

This resource list was prepared for the event “Business Innovation to Fight Climate Change and Poverty” by the Overseas Development Institute.

Recent publications

• Briefing Paper on “Business Innovation to Fight Climate Change and Poverty”, produced by the Growing Inclusive Markets initiative of the UNDP.
• Climate Change and Global Poverty: A Billion Lives in the Balance?,the book published by Brookings (July 2009) draws on expertise from the climate change and development communities to ask how the public and private sectors can help the world’s poor manage the global climate crisis.
• The Copenhagen Call summarises the outputs of the World Business Summit on Climate Change which took place in May 2009, and was a joint initiative of The Copenhagen Climate Council, Combat Climate Change (3C), The Climate Group, The UN Global Compact, The World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and the World Economic Forum.
• Catalysing low-carbon growth in developing economies from UNEP & partners (October 2009). The report focuses on the kinds of public finance mechanisms needed to incentivise and scale-up private sector investment for climate solutions.
• Towards a low carbon economy: A business contribution to the intern…, from the WBCSD (April 2009). The report focuses on business experience in technology development and deployment, finance and carbon markets, cooperative sectoral approaches and adaptation and proposes policy recommendations for a future agreement.
• The latest edition of the Sustain magazine (October 2009) published by the WBCSD highlights the important links between energy, climate and development and includes several articles highlighting the role of business in creating economic opportunities through inclusive business initiatives, with case stories featuring companies such as Allianz, Coca-Cola, Anglo American, GDF SUEZ, and Newmont.
• Sharpening The Cutting Edge: Corporate Action for a Strong, Low-Car…, from the World Resources Institute (April 2009). The report evaluates corporate climate strategies and offers guidance on key issues to consider for future corporate action.
• Making Climate Your Business, Private Sector Adaptation in Southeas…, published by Sida, Word Resources Institute & CSR Asia (January 2009). The report argues that the private sector will play a substantial role in determining adaptation success achieved in the region. It outlines possible ‘win-win’ opportunities in this context.
• Towards Triple Impact: Toolbox for Analysing Sustainable Ventures i… from UNEP (2009). The document introduces a toolbox that helps to systematically identify, evaluate, advise, and promote sustainable ventures contributing to poverty alleviation and environmental sustainability.
• Charting a New Low-Carbon Route to Development published by UNDP (June 2009). The publication addresses options which, when tailored to specific circumstances, could help balance the pursuit of both climate change mitigation and the investments needed to accelerate poverty reduction and development.
• The forthcoming ODI research report ‘Policies for Low Carbon Growth’ reviews low carbon development strategies and climate change response strategies in a spectrum of countries with differing economic characteristics, in order to draw out implications for policy which can be considered by developing countries, depending on their context and stage of development.

Bodies of expertise, networks and collaborations

Global and regional initiatives

• World Economic Forum – Task force on Low-Carbon Economic Prosperity formed in March 2009 following the annual meeting in Davos. The task force will work with government and UN officials to develop a set of global practical projects and policy proposals to stimulate the low-carbon economy from 2010 onward.
• The Climate Group, a global coalition of governments and businesses to tackle climate change established in 2003. The coalition’s goal is to help government and business set the world economy on the path to a low-carbon, prosperous future through various projects.
• The Copenhagen Climate Council, a global collaboration between business and science that aims to create global awareness of the importance of the U.N. Climate Change Conference, COP15 in December 2009, and to ensure support and assistance to global decision-makers when agreeing on a new climate treaty.
• The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change, a collaboration of business leaders from the UK, EU and international companies developed and are managed by the University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership. E.g. it set up the Copenhagen Communiqué on Climate Change (September 2009) to which 780 companies have signed so far.
• Asia-Pacific Emissions Trading Forum is an Australia based information service and business network that deals with domestic and international developments in greenhouse gas emissions markets within the Asia-Pacific region.

UK based initiatives

• The Princes May Day Network is part of the Business in Community network. It was launched in order to allow businesses to collaborate towards a low carbon economy. The Network claims to be the largest UK movement of businesses (over 1,100) committed to take action on climate change.
• The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) is a UK based group that collects and distributes information for investors, corporations and governments in order to allow them to take action to prevent climate change. 2,000 organisations in 60 countries have agreed to measure and disclose their GHG emissions and climate change strategies through the CDP.
• Aldersgate Group, coalition of businesses, environmental groups and individuals to promote the argument that there is no inherent contradiction between regulating for high environmental standards at the same time as maintaining economic growth and stimulating wealth creation.
• City Environmental Forum, set up the by the City of London Corporation in order to bring together businesses and give them a place to discuss their impacts on climate change, share best practices and network.

US based initiatives

• US Climate Action Partnership, a coalition of 26 corporations and 5 nongovernmental organizations calling on Congress to pass mandatory climate change legislation.
• Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy, national network of investors, environmental organizations and other public interest groups working with companies and investors to address sustainability challenges such as global climate change.
• US Climate Business Group, a strategy building network within the World Resources Institute for companies working in a low carbon economy. The group helps to facilitate the development of greenhouse gas (GHG) management systems, share energy management practices and invest in clean energy.
• Pew Centre on Global Climate Change, non-profit advocacy organisation. Includes the Business Environmental Leadership Council (BELC), the largest U.S.-based association of corporations focused on addressing the challenges of climate change and supporting mandatory climate policy.