Companies taking steps to reduce GHG emissions

(Apr 23, 2007) Recently the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) handed out praise to participants in its Climate Leaders program.

In place since 2002, Climate Leaders offers help and guidance to companies wanting to develop and implement long-term climate-change strategies. Participants set a corporate-wide greenhouse-gas (GHG) reduction goal and then track their progress through inventory data. The data are given to the EPA, which determines if the company has meet its goal.

Climate Leaders partners come from a wide range of industries and constitute over 9% of the U.S. gross domestic product. Over the past five years, the program has expanded to include 113 organizations, although only 67 have announced aggressive long-term greenhouse-gas-reduction goals.

Success
EPA recently applauded several Climate Leaders who achieved their 2006 goals but also set a new GHG reduction goals.

American Electric Power of Columbus, Ohio: reduced U.S. GHG emissions by 4% from 2001 to 2006. Pledged to reduce emissions by a total of 6% by 2010.

United Technologies: cut emissions by 46% per dollar of revenue in the five years to 2006. Aims to reduce GHG emissions by 12% from 2006 to 2010.

St. Lawrence Cement, Mont-Royal, Quebec: Reduced global GHG emissions by 16% per ton of cement-type product from 2000 to 2006. Pledges to reduce global GHG emissions by 20% per ton of cement-type product from 2000 to 2012.

Promises made
Several large companies, including General Motors Co. and IBM Corp., laid out goals for reducing their GHG emissions.

General Motors: aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from North American manufacturing facilities by 40% by 2010 from 2000 levels.

IBM: aims to reduce global GHG emissions by 7% from 2005 levels by 2012.

Papermaker Boise Cascade: aims to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 10% from 2004 levels by 2014.

Codding Enterprises shopping mall operator: aims to reduce U.S. carbon dioxide emissions by 50% per square foot from 2005 to 2010.

In addition, 16 companies, including Anheuser-Busch Chos. Inc., Deere & Co, Merck & Co. Inc. and Kellogg Co. joined the five-year-old Climate Leaders program. The EPA estimates that the goals announced to date would eliminate the amount of yearly carbon dioxide emissions created by over seven million cars.



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