The UN’s IPCC issued its 6^th Assessment Report on the physical state of global Climate Change on August 7, 2021, ten years after the prior one.

While there was some doubt 10 years ago, this report declares: “It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land. Widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere have occurred.” More important, the rate of the temperature rise is itself rising. Global surface temperatures are 1.09⁰C higher between 2011 to 2020 compared to 1900, with over 90% of this rise due to human activities.

The rate of sea level rise has increased, as well, to 3.7 mm per year in the last decade, compared to 1.3 mm per year from 1900-1971 and 1.9 mm per year from 1971-2006.

In 2019, atmospheric CO₂ concentrations were higher than at any time in at least 2 million years (high confidence), and concentrations of CH₄ and N₂O were higher than at any time in at least 800,000 years (very high confidence).

The report documents that human-induced Climate Change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region of the world, such as heatwaves, heavy precipitation, droughts, and tropical cyclones since the previous report.

The report provides five potential future scenarios and how the world will react. In all cases, global temperatures will rise until at least mid-century. Global warming of 1.5°C to 2°C will be exceeded during this century unless deep reductions in GHGs occur in the coming decades.

The most optimistic scenario (#1) has the world reducing GHG emissions to zero by just after 2050. In that scenario, global temperatures will still rise by about 1.5⁰C by 2050 and 1.6⁰C by 2100. In the most pessimistic scenario (#5), GHG emissions will double from 2015 rates by 2050 and continue to rise from there. Global temperatures are predicted to rise by 2.4⁰C by 2060 and by 4.4⁰C (8⁰F) by 2100. Scientists have already predicted that our planet can only tolerate a rise of only another 1.5⁰C before major effects are felt.

The report projects that further global warming will further intensify the variability of the water cycle, increasing global monsoon precipitation and severity of wet and dry events. Many changes due to past and future increased GHG emissions are irreversible for centuries, especially changes in the ocean, ice sheets and global sea level.

The report clearly states that we have no more time to waste or ponder. Major reductions in CO₂ and other GHG emissions must begin soon and we must get to net zero CO₂ emissions by mid-century or else there may be permanent changes to our sea levels and ocean currents, affecting us for centuries to come.

CCES can help you develop and implement a Climate Change plan to reduce your emissions of GHGs. Contact us today at 914-584-6720.

Sustainability is more than just a corporate goal; it is becoming a personal goal of more and more people. How can we as individuals reduce our impact on the planet. One area of focus has been our overall large consumption of meat. According to Forbes, beef consumption results in 60 kg CO_2e produced per kg of beef, over twice the greenhouse gas production of the next meat on the list, lamb, and triple the production from cheese.

With this as motivation, several companies are trying to create a plant-based product that has the same taste and consistency of beef, most prominent being Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods. Studies show that these products produce 10 to 13 times less CO_2e compared to a same-sized hamburger. In addition, the ingredients of these products use less land and significantly less water. Both products have grown in sales tremendously in the past 5 years and can be found in many fast-food restaurants as “healthy” alternatives to hamburgers, filleted chicken, and other meat products. CNBC predicts the market for meat substitutes to reach $2.5 billion by 2023.

According to Beyond Meat, ingredients for its plant-based patties include water, pea protein isolate, expeller-pressed canola oil, refined coconut oil, rice protein and other natural flavors, including apple extract and beet juice extract (for color). Ingredients for Impossible Foods burger include water, soy protein concentrate, coconut oil, sunflower oil, potato protein, soy leghemoglobin (a group of protein found in animals and plants) and other natural flavors.

While avoiding the saturated fats found in beef is positive from a health standpoint, some are beginning to question whether eating foods with so many highly processed ingredients is healthy. It appears that in getting them to taste the same as beef burgers, plant-based burgers have about the same amount of sodium and saturated fat as traditional burgers and that may not be so good for the public’s health.

However, there is the thought that such plant-based “meat” may be useful as a transition food, helping wean people off of meat products. Most Americans would not enjoy eating a full vegetarian diet because their taste buds are used to a diet that includes high fat and processed foods.

In the same token, the environmental benefits of the Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger make them the right choice.

CCES has the experts to provide advice on helping your company be more sustainable in your operations, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and water usage. Contact us today at karell@CCESworld.com or at 914-584-6720.

Many companies do not realize the high cost of energy for their operations impacting their bottom line – not just the direct costs, but also money spent indirectly for energy in the supply chain and for outsourced work. Yet many firms approach energy as merely just another cost to be managed. Get the bills, pay it, and little else. This bypasses opportunities to reduce cost significantly and, also reduce risk and improve resilience.

While that alone is moving energy up many corporate priorities, recent strong social and environmental trends, such as recent Climate Change-related disasters, are bringing this issue to the table. Adding on the vageries of availability of some energy sources, greater scrutiny about corporate carbon footprints and environmental performance, and innovations in energy technologies make corporate energy policy more important and provides the opportunity to outshine one’s competition and create value.

Is this real or just nice talk? One example is Microsoft. As written by several writers. Electricity used to be an afterthought for Microsoft. Turn the PC on, and it goes on. Turn the data center on, and it goes on. But with the growth and complexity of systems, Microsoft realized that electricity was critical in its operations and products, particularly its availability and price volatility. As their systems grew, Microsoft realized it was one of the biggest electricity users in the country. Under growing pressure, it developed and implemented firm-wide goals on energy efficiency and on moving toward renewable sources, saving it lots of cost and placing it as a perceived environmental leader.

OK, so your firm is not Microsoft. What can you do to manage your energy use and maximize the opportunities?

1. Let Energy Be Heard. It is impossible to make or implement a beneficial energy policy without the clear-cut structure of a group and direct involvement from the CEO. Experienced professionals need to be engaged (from the outside or within) and get support from many throughout the organization, most important the CEO who can ensure that goals move forward. Goals must be formulated and communicated and accountability ensured.
2. Don’t Skip The Basics. There is a tendency to want to get the answers first. But it’s important to define the questions and get basic answers first. How much energy does the company use, how much does it cost, and which areas use the most? A thorough energy audit should be conducted early on to answer these questions. Then you can tackle the questions of how to best reduce energy usage and cost, where can the use of renewables make sense, and how do these align with company expectations? Or, in other words, understand your risk factors and opportunities for gains.
3. Develop Comprehensive Goals. Once you understand the company’s full energy profile, now you can develop an action plan to ensure fuel availability at lower costs and how that will impact one’s carbon footprint. You can focus on the areas deemed most inefficient. However, one important tip is do not ignore the rest of the operations, the parts that do not appear to need upgrading. It is also important to manage your entire operations, especially growth in business areas doing well. While you may get savings from upgrading inefficient portions, the savings could be short-lived and balanced out by growth in areas that are efficient. Be aware of and account for overall future growth. Don’t forget to consider opportunities for your suppliers to reduce energy usage, which you pay for indirectly.
4. Shift To Renewable Or Flexible Energy Sources. The group’s analysis should also look forward at your current energy sources and determine will they still be available 10, even 20 years in the future or might changes happen that will reduce its availability or raise its price. Try to analyze which fuels are anticipated to be available and plentiful and build operations to use these so the company is not painted into a corner in the future. And consider renewable technology, such as solar, wind, and geothermal, where the source is free and the costs have dropped markedly.
   CCES has the experts to help your firm analyze your energy profile – to perform the energy audit to create a full understanding of your energy usage and demand and to evaluate and develop robust, long-term strategies to reduce energy usage and cost and maximize opportunities for growth. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.