Companies and climate protection

Is it necessary to force companies to act for climate protection, or should they do it of their own free will? This was the question addressed by the first conference of the Energy for the Economy Agency (EnAW).
Results of optional measures taken by companies so far have been positive, even though more sustained effort is still needed at international as well as national level. On 12 November, Gro Harlem Bruntland called on all countries to make progress in the fight against CO2 emissions. Businesses have a responsibility towards the climate, said Rudolf Ramsauer, president of EnAW and director of Economiesuisse.
The business world wants to use EnAW to prove that the aims of regulations on CO2 emissions can be achieved by voluntary action, without the need for legal constraints. According to Ramsauer, about a thousand businesses are now involved in EnAW's conversion programme. These companies are responsible for about 3.5 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, or a third of the total emissions attributed to economic activity. In total, 74 business groups are working on harmonisation of objectives with the help of the agency, and have formally committed themselves to reduce emissions.
W. Steinmann, director of the federal energy office, describes the results of the Energie Suisse programme, which has been running for two years, as «considerable«: 925 million francs have been invested, and over 6,000 jobs have been created. Overall energy savings are about 6%, while emissions have been reduced by 9%.
Source: European Environmental Press