About Climate Change

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Legislation

The United Nations, through its Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) defined its ultimate objective as stabilising greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic (human-induced) interference with the climate system.

The UNFCCC instigated principles to guide actions to minimise the impact on Climate Change including:

cooperation in the development and transfer of technologies, practices and processes that control, reduce or prevent the emissions of greenhouse gases
the need to take climate change considerations into account in relevant social, economic, and environmental policies and actions

Countries can use a range of flexibility mechanisms to meet their reduction commitments, including emissions trading, joint implementation of measures with other countries, emissions banking, and emission reduction credits for assistance to developing countries.

Who can make a difference

Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Organisations are being established to help business to reduce its emissions impact. Help can be gained from local government organisations which provide information and guidance, often free of charge. In the United Kingdom, these include:

Solution providers and consultants also exist to help implement projects or raise awareness.

Ems2 exists to stimulate innovation for its clients that reduce the carbon footprint of their customers.

Industry sectors

Most industries can make some difference. Before the industrial revolution, the level of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere was relatively constant. With the expansion of industrial activity and increasingly efficient agriculture more greenhouse gases are being released into the atmosphere.

The burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) and land clearing are the main causes of these increases, therefore most industries constituting life today have sources of GHG Emissions. Manufacturing and heavy industry are perhaps obvious sources, however any retail or office space where people work will use electricity for lighting and heating. Unless this energy is derived from renewable sources which do not emit GHGs, there will be an impact on emissions by virtue of the energy consumed in these outlets.

Adaptation

The vast majority of leading scientists agree that global warming is already bringing a change to our climate including extreme weather events and rising sea levels. Scientists tell us these changes will cause mass migration of people from low lying areas and significant loss of human and other life. They also say that as well as stop the rise in greenhouse gas emissions, we must adapt to the inevitable changes we have already set in motion.

Emissions Reduction is no longer enough. We need solutions to adapt to the extreme weather events that we will be increaingly facing as our climate changes. Therefore Ems2 provides help for clients to develop its offerings to help climate change adaptation.

Businesses leaders can help do all these things and still create wealth and prosperity.

Founder and Managing Director, Sue Priest sums up the values of Ems2: "our yardsticks are the emissions we reduce, the adaptations we help create, and the return on investment for our clients"