Norine Kennedy Archives

Business Looks Forward to Rio+20 Earth Summit

Published on January 23, 2012

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With less than six months to go, this June’s UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro is still a largely unknown quantity for the business community.  The June 20-22 event has been dubbed “Rio+20,” since it comes two decades years after the UN’s seminal 1992 Earth Summit in the same city.

As negotiated in numerous preparatory sessions, the agenda for Rio+20 is broad but vague, encompassing “the green economy,” “institutional frameworks” and “emerging issues.”  These remain largely empty outlines – although there are a wealth of proposals from governments and NGOs.

In anticipation of last-minute and intense preparation between now and the summit, USCIB intends to focus on the main business issues on the table, and is working to engage its members in shaping preparations for the event and influencing its expected outcomes, mainly through dialogue with the Obama administration, UN officials and other international policymakers.

Working through the United States Council Foundation, USCIB members and others in the policy community are developing business perspectives and academic input on green economy policy input via the Green Economies Dialogue project (www.green-dialogue.org).  We will be holding Dialogue meetings in Brasilia and Tokyo in the coming months, following successful meetings in Washington and Paris last fall.   USCIB is also interfacing directly with the U.S. State Department and the Obama administration on an array of issues expected to be front-and-center in Rio.

Other efforts to organize business input to the Rio+20 process include Business Action for Sustainable Development 2012 (BASD2012) – a joint effort between the International Chamber of Commerce, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the UN Global Compact and several other business organizations – as well as the UN Global Compact in its own right.

USCIB provided business input for the so-called “zero draft” being discussed at UN meetings in New York this week, both directly and in a joint submission with several other business groups to Robert Hormats, under-secretary of state for economic, energy, and agriculture affairs, which seeks to raise the business community’s official role in the summit.  Mr. Hormats will meet with USCIB’s Environment Committee on March 14 in Washington, D.C.

Registration for the Rio+20 summit is now open, and USCIB is working to secure accreditation for member executives wishing to attend.  Please contact Kira Yevtukhova (kyevtukhova@uscib.org) for details.

In addition, the government of the Netherlands and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs are collaborating with BASD2012 to convene a two-day event in preparation for Rio+20. The event, “Realizing Green Growth: Business & Industry Consultation with Government and Civil Society for Rio+20,” will be held in Amsterdam during the week of April 10 (specific dates to be confirmed). The meeting will provide a forum to discuss Rio+20 issues, including the role of business in green growth.  Please contact Ms. Yevtukhova for more information.

Staff contact: Norine Kennedy

More on USCIB’s Environment Committee

Business Looking to Move Forward at UN Climate Conference, Even as Governments Wrestle With Developing Country Obligations

Published on December 1, 2011

4205_image002USCIB and its partner business groups are actively pushing for progress at the UN climate conference now underway in Durban, South Africa.  But governments are hamstrung by precedent-setting decisions taken two decades ago.

A number of USCIB member company representatives, as well as Norine Kennedy, USCIB’s vice president of environment and energy, are attending the conference.  They are in Durban as part of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) delegation. ICC has long served  as the business focal point in the climate negotiations.

Other groups are in Durban as well, working to ensure business engagement in support of meaningful action to address climate change.  Increasingly prominent in this regard is the Major Economies Business Forum on Energy Security and Climate Change (BizMEF), which consists of major business groups from G20 countries.

BizMEF has just released a series of important papers, with general perspectives on the Durban negotiations, and examining business engagement, the role of technology, establishing a green climate fund, the use of carbon offsets, and competitiveness issues.

Yesterday, Ms. Kennedy published an insightful column on the website GreenBiz that notes the varying expectations of business and the governments represented in Durban, and describes the genesis and work of BizMEF.  She writes that even as business presses for meaningful progress on global measures to address climate change, government delegates are laboring under the burden of precedent-setting decisions, made some two decades ago, to bifurcate climate obligations between developed and developing countries.

“Some countries that were developing countries then, such as China and India, are now growing rapidly and are major economic forces in their own right,” writes Ms. Kennedy.  “If current trends continue in the fastest growing developing country economies, reductions made in developed countries will be cancelled out and overtaken by emissions in the BRICs in coming years.”

The United States and countries including Australia, Canada, Russia and Japan have strongly encouraged a new framework obliging all major economies, whether developed or developing, to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But, Ms. Kennedy wrote, “as evidenced in the entrenched positions being expressed here, this is prevented by the precedents that do not allow updating to reflect today’s realities.”

Staff contact: Norine Kennedy

More on USCIB’s Environment Committee

Inaugural Green Economies Dialogue Held in Washington

Published on October 24, 2011
A cross-section of experts from business, government and the policy community met in Washington, DC at the inaugural Green Economies Dialogue, hosted by Resources for the Future.
A cross-section of experts from business, government and the policy community met in Washington, DC at the inaugural Green Economies Dialogue, hosted by Resources for the Future.

On October 12, Resources for the Future hosted the first meeting of the Green Economies Dialogue project, an initiative of the United States Council Foundation, USCIB and a host of partner organizations and companies.

The goal of this and other GED meetings is to foster  discussion of green economy topics among business, government, inter-governmental bodies and other stakeholders, with a focus on international cooperative measures and market-based solutions that could take green growth to the next level.

Future dialogue sessions are planned for Paris (November 14, hosted by the OECD), Tokyo and Sao Paolo.  Research on a variety of green economy topics is being commissioned, and will be published in the journal Energy Economics in the lead-up to the Rio+20 summit in June 2012.

The Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, part of USCIB’s global network, is playing an important role in organizing the dialogues.

At the Washington dialogue, government, business representatives and NGO representatives heard from economists and academics who are reviewing experiences, possibilities and unknowns embedded in the pursuit of a green economy.  Participants sought to better understand one another’s perspectives on how economic and environmental policy approaches can be practical in North America, and meaningfully pursued in international marketplaces and regulatory frameworks.

The synergy of economic and environmental policy has been a common theme of the work of our organizations, and we appreciated the diversity of views and ideas presented in the course of the meeting.   It became clear that every participant in the meeting brought a unique vision of green growth,  and all were seized both by the urgency of the challenges and the long-term nature of the tasks ahead.

Phil Sharp, President, Resources for the Future

Peter M. Robinson, President and CEO, United States Council for International Business

Participants shared U.S. experiences, and looked ahead to how resources could be deployed most effectively to speed the evolution to greener economic growth that is meaningful both in the U.S. and globally.

More information on the Washington and other dialogues, as well as a host of other pertinent resources, will be available shortly on a new Green Economies Dialogue website.

Staff contact: Norine Kennedy

More on USCIB’s Environment Committee

Green Economies in Globalized Markets

Published on May 1, 2011

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USCIB invites you to join your peers for an intensely focused, academically rigorous 3-day Executive Education program developed specifically for USCIB by Boston University School of Management on “Green Economies in a Globalized Market.”

4125_image005Viewed from the global perspective of multinational corporations, the curriculum is designed to keep you on the cutting edge of trends, activities and strategies required to cope with the challenges you face in moving towards a green economy on a global scale.  Leading members of the Boston University School of Management faculty will guide you through everything from business strategy and sustainability goals to the impact on innovation and competitiveness.

Assuring maximum benefit for your time, the curriculum has been developed in partnership with USCIB to elevate your skills as a business executive as you delve into leading-edge thinking on sustainability through course work designed to sharpen your abilities. You will:

  • Understand how to achieve competitive advantage, balanced with sustainability goals.
  • Gain insight into the current trends and activities in international negotiations related to climate change.
  • Understand the implications of greening accounting and assigning green values to aspects of business and ecosystem services, and learn how that translates to the bottom line.
  • Analyze best practices from leading global companies.
  • Develop the ability to recognize trends and discuss new business model frameworks in the face of regulatory and market place disruption.
  • Understand the development of financial incentives and contract structures to drive customer acceptance and adoption.
  • Explore major types of risk and the risks specific to the green economy.
  • Discuss corporate risk management structure including risk identification, measurement and reporting, and main risk drivers.
  • Address the financial cost of not managing risks.
  • Understand competition in green ecosystems using insights from related sectors.
  • Evaluate how best to position your organization in emerging energy ecosystems.

Classes are small and space is limited, so we urge you to register today to make this strategic investment in your future. Register by July 27, 2011 to receive the early registration rate of $2,100.  Details on the curriculumare available on the Boston University website.  Group discounts are available – please call for details.

If you have questions or need additional information please feel free to contact The BU Executive Programs department at 617-353-4248, e-mail elc@management.bu.edu.

If you would like to talk with USCIB about the program and the value it holds for your organization, please feel free to contact Abby Shapiro at ashapiro@uscib.org or Norine Kennedy at nkennedy@uscib.org.

Thank you. We look forward to your participation this September!

Business Seeks to Take UN Green Growth Talks to the Next Level

Published on March 4, 2011
Business supports international cooperation towards greening economies and jobs.
Business supports international cooperation towards greening economies and jobs.

Under the auspices of USCIB’s affiliate the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), business representatives were front and center at UN preparatory talks last month in advance of next year’s landmark “Rio+20” environmental summit.

Martina Bianchini, director of EU government affairs and public policy for the Dow Chemical Company, and chair of ICC’s Green Economy Task Force, led the world business organization’s delegation to the 2011 UN Environment Program (UNEP) ministerial and governing council meetings.

The meetings, held February 17-24 in Nairobi, brought together environment ministers from over 80 countries to consider critical next steps in preparing the environmental input to the Rio+20 Conference in 2012.  Issues under discussion included new measures on chemicals, e-waste and heavy metals, and options to strengthen international environmental government institutions.

Speaking at a forum attended by UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner and U.S. Environmental Protection Authority Administrator Lisa Jackson, Ms Bianchini said: “Business supports international cooperation towards greening economies and jobs: in our view, to reach its full potential, the green economy concept must become global, seeking to green all elements of the economy.  The objective is to foster innovation, rather than mandate it.”

The ICC Green Economy Task Force plans to review and provide comments on the UNEP Green Economy Report, which was released at the Nairobi meetings.  Attending the UNEP meetings, Norine Kennedy, USCIB’s vice president for energy and environmental affairs, highlighted the report’s importance for considering how businesses across all sectors will contribute to progress towards environmental innovation, job creation and economic growth.  “The right enabling frameworks will amplify the opportunities for greener technologies and investments needed to take sustainable development to the next level,” she said.

Green economy, green growth policy and market options are being discussed in the G20, the OECD and a variety of other intergovernmental forums.  The “greening” of economies and jobs is seen as a response to a variety of economic, food, energy and environmental crises, and is an organizing theme of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development to take place in Rio in 2012.

The ICC Green Economy Task Force was launched in October 2010 to provide international and multi-disciplinary business input via BASD2012 to Rio+20 preparations, and to engage with UNEP and other intergovernmental forums.  ICC will also co-host the UNEP global business dialogue in April to provide more in depth comments on the Green Economy Report, and showcase business’ major contributions in delivering jobs, investments and solutions required for the transition to a green economy.

Staff contact: Norine Kennedy

More on USCIB’s Environment Committee

ICC website

BIAC Hosts International Green Economy Dialogue Conference

Published on January 10, 2011
BIAC Secretary General Tadahiro Asami (second from right) and USCIB’s Norine Kennedy (far right) at the Paris Green Economies Dialogue.
BIAC Secretary General Tadahiro Asami (second from right) and USCIB’s Norine Kennedy (far right) at the Paris Green Economies Dialogue.

On November 14, BIAC, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, part of USCIB’s global network, welcomed nearly 100 experts from business, governments, OECD, UNEP and key academics to an International Business Green Economies Dialogue conference at the OECD headquarters.

The Paris conference was organized as the second part of a business-led series of discussions in North America, Europe, Asia and South America, in the run-up to the Rio+20 Earth Summit this June. The first conference took place in Washington in October, and two further conferences will be organized during the first half of 2012, one in Japan and one in Brazil, with the active participation of BIAC.

OECD Environment Ministerial to Contribute to Rio+20 Conference

On March 29-30, 2012 OECD environment ministers will discuss the outcome of the OECD Green Growth Strategy by supporting national and international efforts to achieve green growth. Environment ministers will be looking at what green growth means for environmental policy making.

A key part of the meeting will discuss how the Green Growth Strategy can be used by countries with different resource endowments, environmental pressures and states of development. As the OECD Environment Ministerial will take place ahead of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in June, the OECD Ministerial will present an excellent opportunity for ministers to make a positive contribution to Rio+20.

The new OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050 will be an important input to the ministerial meeting, to which BIAC has actively contributed. BIAC participated in the Global Forum on the Environmental Outlook and submitted comments on four areas identified including climate change, biodiversity, water and the health impacts of pollution, highlighting key business considerations and the proactive contribution that business can make to address these challenges.

BIAC will play an active role at the March 2012 Environment Ministerial and provide direct business input to the discussions.

The Green Economy Dialogue project launched by USCIB, the United States Council Foundation (USCF) and BIAC with support from a range of sponsors and partners, aims to promote a productive approach to greener growth, intending to increase dialogue with governments in the run-up to Rio+20 and to share business views. In addition, the project involves commissioning a number of peer-reviewed, academic papers on various aspects of green growth and green economy to inform the debate leading up to Rio+20 and going forward after the event.

The Paris conference focused on green growth carried out by the OECD including specific sessions on green growth for development and job creation, policy instruments, energy and resource efficiency. Sessions included presentations of key academics, followed by reactions from experts from business, national governments and international organizations. It was highlighted that green growth policies should help maximize growth across the economy, with necessary investments to progress it further.

Many governments highlighted the importance of flexible bottom-up approaches and partnerships as a way forward.

Staff Contact: Norine Kennedy

More on USCIB’s Environment Committee

USCIB Members Meet with European Climate Commissioner

Published on May 20, 2010
EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard
EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard

On May 12 in New York, USCIB held a business dialogue with EU Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard at the European Union Delegation office to the United Nations.  The off-the-record session provided an opportunity to hold a dynamic discussion of global climate change matters in an informal setting.

USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson introduced Commissioner Hedegaard and reviewed USCIB’s role, as American affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce, in discussions under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.  This has included a strong American business presence at last December’s UN climate summit in Copenhagen, over which Commissioner Hedegaard presided as Danish environment minister.

Also leading the discussion were Ann Condon (General Electric), chair of USCIB’s Environment and Energy Committee, and Brian Fix (Salans LLP), who chairs USCIB’s European Union Committee.

The commissioner and participants spoke about a variety of key issues, including this fall’s climate talks in Cancún and the UN agenda for 2011, China’s actions on energy efficiency, and better ways for the business community to engage in global climate discussions.  USCIB members may contact Justine Bareford (jbareford@uscib.org) for a confidential summary of the meeting.

Staff contact: Justine Bareford

Commissioner Hedegaard’s website

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More on USCIB’s European Union Committee

Business Gears Up for UN Commission on Sustainable Development

Published on April 23, 2010

3978_image001Join USCIB and the International Chamber of Commerce as we represent business and industry at the upcoming meeting of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), May 3-14 at United Nations headquarters in New York City.

For two weeks, USCIB representatives will attend the 18th session of UN CSD, and we are actively seeking USCIB members to take part in the delegation.

The CSD reviews international governmental actions and implementation of commitments arising from Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, with a specific focus on chemicals, mining, sustainable consumption and production, transport and waste management.

CSD-18 will provide U.S. companies and business organizations with an opportunity to review policies relating to the five focus areas.  It will also serve as a forum for business and industry to showcase positive efforts being made in these areas of sustainable development, and to present successful examples of progress and achievement.

During CSD-18, USCIB and ICC will facilitate business and industry input and participation.  As part of a recognized “major group,” industry representatives can participate through interventions, question-and-answer sessions, and presentations in several interactive portions of the two-week agenda.

To learn more about the CSD 18 meetings, agenda and themes, please visit http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/csd/csd_csd18.shtml.

Please contact Kate Whitelaw (kwhitelaw@uscib.org) by April 29 if you wish to take advantage of any of the following opportunities:

  • Participate in the ICC delegation to CSD-18
  • Be kept abreast of developments in CSD-18
  • Be consulted when we seek comments on draft statements to CSD-18
  • Offer examples of progress or achievement towards sustainable development in the thematic areas of chemicals, mining, sustainable consumption and production, transport and waste management.

We hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity to shape global policies on these vital areas of sustainable development, and to help us highlight how American business is bringing important progress to the five themes presented at UN CSD.

Staff contacts: Norine Kennedy, Kate Whitelaw

UN Commission on Sustainable Development website

More on USCIB’s Environment Committee

Copenhagen Climate Summit Latest statements and information

Published on December 1, 2009

Latest statements and information from USCIB and our global business network

USCIB and its global business network have actively contributed to international discussions of climate change for many years.  Our unique affiliations with leading worldwide business groups – in particular the International Chamber of Commerce – provide an invaluable channel through which to influence the course of global policies and regulations affecting business, the environment, energy and sustainable development.

At the December 2009 UN climate change summit in Copenhagen, USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson joined members and ICC-affiliated companies from around the world in making the business case for concerted action to combat global warming.

Here are links to the latest statements and actions on climate change from USCIB and our global network. Please contact USCIB Vice President Norine Kennedy (nkennedy@uscib.org) for additional information or to get involved.

USCIB:

International Chamber of Commerce:

Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD:

International Organization of Employers:

On to Copenhagen: Major Business Groups Set Priorities for Climate Action

Published on September 28, 2009
While building owners in Copenhagen find many ways to “go green,” governments face major challenges in crafting a global climate pact.
While building owners in Copenhagen find many ways to “go green,” governments face major challenges in crafting a global climate pact.

As the world enters the final stretch leading up to December’s UN Copenhagen summit meeting on climate change, representatives of major business groups from around the world met in Washington on September 21 and 22 to frame recommendations on long-term climate action and the role of business in curbing greenhouse gases.  Representatives of ten top leading business groups from six continents took part – including BusinessEurope, the Japan’s Nikkei Keidanren, the Confederation of Indian Industry, USCIB and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which hosted the event.

Following on an earlier February roundtable in Copenhagen, where business groups from diverse countries reached a degree of consensus that surprised even themselves, representatives exchanged views on the shape of a new international agreement on climate change, agreed on a number of shared fundamental objectives and sought to contribute to ongoing negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Major Economies Forum (MEF) on energy and climate.

The business groups emphasized the critical role of open trade to both economic recovery and dissemination of environmentally advanced technology.  The group also stressed the importance of economic development and competitiveness, financing, energy security and energy efficiency.  These will be conveyed to the MEF and developed further in future meetings.

According to Brian Flannery (ExxonMobil), co-chair of USCIB’s international energy policy working group, it is likely that, as the result of the Copenhagen summit, business will be charged with making major contributions to economic and technological capacity-building.  For that reason, a clearer and more formal role for business in the UNFCCC process is needed.  “The realities of the global marketplace and supply-chains will require economy-wide, multi-sectoral and inter-disciplinary evaluation of proposed policies,” he said.

Between now and the Copenhagen summit, governments are struggling to reach consensus on post-2012 commitments to greenhouse gas reductions, adaptation to the likely impact of climate change, and necessary technological and financing measures.   Some progress was made at the recent UN high-level meetings and a global leadership forum held in New York around the opening of the UN General Assembly (see USCIB statement).

USCIB, working with the International Chamber of Commerce as the main business and industry focal-point for the UNFCCC negotiations, has represented its members’ interests in the process since 1993, and attended the UN leadership forum in New York.

According to Norine Kennedy, USCIB’s vice president for environment and energy, the UN meeting in Copenhagen “should be viewed not as a finish line, but as a starting point,” the beginning of what she said will likely be a “long discussion about the details of post-2012 action.” USCIB will be covering the remaining negotiations in Bangkok and Barcelona, as well as in Copenhagen.

MEF business statement on climate

More on USCIB’s Environment Committee