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| Taking action on climate change |
WWF works with key audiences in government, industry, education and civil society generally. Together we can make a positive impact on the future of the planet, influencing public policy, corporate agendas, education systems and public environmental awareness.
Climate Change Campaign | One Million Sustainable Homes campaign | Yes2Wind | Carbon Disclosure Project | EU Emissions Trading Scheme | Climate Savers | IPPR
Climate Change Campaign
Climate change poses a devastating threat to the future of the planet. It is likely to bring about water and food shortages that will affect millions of people around the world. It could also force hundreds of thousands of plant and animal species into extinction.
Here in the UK, we are already feeling the effects of climate change as floods, storms, droughts and heatwaves all become more frequent and severe.
Through it's Climate Change Campaign, WWF-UK is calling on governments and the power sector to limit CO2 emissions - a major cause of global warming - to help ensure the average rise in global temperature stays well below 2°C. This is a crucial tipping point for the environment and would have devastating impacts for people and wildlife. The campaign is demanding that the government commits to:
- setting annual targets for year-on-year reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide;
- a cut of at least 20 per cent in carbon dioxide emissions by 2010 ; and
- a cut of at least 60 per cent in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.
For more information visit www.wwf.org.uk/climatechangecampaign.
One Million Sustainable Homes Campaign
In August 2002, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, WWF launched its groundbreaking One Million Sustainable Homes campaign.
Most of the UK's housing stock has significant social and environmental impacts. For example, in typical new-built homes, total energy use is three and a half times more than in Denmark and Germany. The residential sector in the UK contributes around 27 per cent of the total CO2 emissions associated with energy use, and domestic energy use is projected to rise by six per cent by 2010. It is therefore essential to reduce emissions from all homes.
Sustainable homes will bring environmental, social and economic benefits to a community - including lower energy and water bills and a cleaner neighbourhood, all at no extra cost to the environment.
WWF has established a Sustainable Homes Task Force comprising partners including the Town and Country Planning Association, the Building Research Establishment and the Environmental Agency. The Task Force will lobby the government, bring sustainable homes into mainstream thinking and make WWF's one million sustainable homes target a reality.
For more information about this campaign visit www.wwf.org.uk/sustainablehomes
Yes2Wind
WWF-UK has joined forces with Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth (FoE) to launch a new website aimed at promoting wind power and countering the wealth of misinformation which is being pedalled by opponents to the development of wind farms in the UK. The site - www.yes2wind.com - provides information on wind technology, facts and figures about the benefit of wind power for the UK and puts you in touch with others who are promoting wind power locally and nationally.
Carbon Disclosure Project
As the effective and proxy owner of many companies, the financial sector must encourage them not to ignore climate change risk exposure when they make their decisions. However, the financial sector itself is largely unaware of this need in its assessment of investments. Of the 38 financial sector institutions that responded to the Carbon Disclosure Project questionnaire, 32 had average or no awareness of climate change risks and opportunities.
For the sector to shift financing to sustainable sources of energy, it is necessary that it recognises the impact that climate change will have on its financial bottom line; that it has sufficient climate change-related information about companies; and that it has the wherewithal to examine such information.
WWF-UK co-funds the Carbon Disclosure Project, and our Chief Executive, Robert Napier, sits on the advisory panel. This provides climate change-related information about companies, and presents it in terms of the value of shareholdings.
For more information visit www.cdproject.net.
EU Emissions Trading Scheme
The Emissions Trading Scheme, which began in January 2005, is central to EU climate policy and to achieving Kyoto Protocol targets as well as the UK's national climate change goals.
The scheme will work on a "Cap and Trade" basis. EU member state governments are required to set emissions limits ("caps") for all sites (known as installations) covered by the scheme in their country. Each installation will then be allocated allowances equal to that cap for the particular phase in question. Installations that reduce their annual emissions below their allowances can trade their surplus allowance on the market, or bank them for future years.
While welcoming the scheme, WWF and other environmental organisations are calling for strict national caps on CO2 emissions. Weak caps would punish businesses that are already investing in clean technologies, but reward those falling behind.
WWF-UK is campaigning that the cap set for Phase 2 (2008-2012) in the UK's National Allocation Plan for the scheme is in line with delivering the UK domestic target of a 20 per cent reduction in CO2 emission by 2010 (as opposed to the UK Kyoto target of 8-9 per cent, which has virtually been met). WWF-UK is lobbying the UK government to achieve this target and working across europe to ensure the scheme is more robust and delivers serious emissions reductions from 2008 onwards.
For more information, visit www.panda.org/climatechange
Climate Savers - IBM's commitment
WWF's Climate Savers initiative works with companies that want to be on the cutting edge of addressing the climate change problem. IBM was one of the first to sign a Climate Savers partnership with WWF in 1999, and its commitment to reduce its global greenhouse gas emissions by four per cent a year shows that some US companies are a lot more progressive than their country's administration.
IBM has a strong presence in the UK, and WWF has visited five of its UK sites (employing a total of around 15,000 people) with a Climate Saver roadshow which promotes climate change solutions such as switching to a green electricity tariff, cycling or walking to work, and switching off televisions and computers when not in use.
Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) - the low carbon economy
WWF is a funding partner of this project (other funders are BG Group, EST, Innogy, Shell and BMW). The aim is to look at policy barriers to the development of a low carbon economy and identify ways in which government can stimulate innovation to ensure the UK takes the lead on solutions to climate change.
The main elements of the project are:
micropower: policy changes required to accelerate developments in small-scale energy systems and promote low carbon energy options in the process;
hydrogen: looking at the potential for hydrogen fuel to reduce carbon emissions and the policy measures required to deliver the necessary infrastructure;
low-carbon design: designing new infrastructure such as buildings, transport and communications with long-term carbon targets in mind;
public perception: encouraging individual attitudes and behaviour that help reduce carbon emissions.
For more information, visit: www.ippr.org.uk/research |
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WWF-UK > Research > Issues > Climate change > Taking action
