2016 Corporate Sustainability Leaders

A bevy of iconic brands have been singled out as the world's leading sustainability companies. The results of the 2016 GlobeScan/SustainAbility survey of corporate sustainability leaders were released on June 7th 2016. The list is formally known as the The 2016 Sustainability Leaders and his year it was produced in partnership with Sustainable Brands,

The Sustainability Leaders Survey tracks expert opinions on the evolution of sustainability. These experts are now saying that values and purpose are "top drivers" of change. Leaders in sustainability excel at integrating social and environmental purpose into their core business. Leading companies also model innovation and set ambitious goals.

Glaxo­SmithKline Doing Well by Doing Good

Glaxo­SmithKline (GSK) is at the top of Fortune's 2016 Change the World list. They are being recognized for their exemplary corporate citizenship. In an age of rampant profiteering in the pharmaceutical industry, Glaxo­SmithKline (GSK) has stood out by making it their business to give back.

The practices of GSK stand in stark contrast to other recent pharmaceutical news. Martin Shkreli bought the rights to a life saving HIV drug called Daraprim,then he hiked up the price by 5,000 percent. CEO of Mylan Pharmaceuticals Heather Bresch raised the price of an EpiPen pack to more than $600.

Green Business Award Winners in 2016 (Guardian and Environmental Leader)

Here is a summary of sustainable businesses, projects and individuals that are leading the way forward. As we teeter on the brink of tipping points, sustainability leadership is more important than ever. Awards that recognize the best companies, projects and individuals lead by example and serve as valuable models. In addition to well deserved recognition these efforts put sustainability on display, showcasing achievements that other businesses can follow. Here is a summary of green awards that have been handed out to businesses and individuals in the first half of 2016. This list includes Guardian's Sustainable Business Awards as well as Environmental Leaders Product and Project of the year awards.

Hilary Clinton is our Last Best Hope of Tackling Climate Change

Anyone interested in climate action needs to appreciate that Hilary Clinton is our last best hope. Clinton has emerged as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and she is a far better choice than the Republican candidate Donald Trump. To get a handle on what is at stake, voters need to understand that without US involvement, efforts to reign-in climate change are doomed to fail. Clinton has recently received endorsements from the greenest candidate in this election cycle Tom O'Malley and Potus himself, President Barack Obama.

The Top Sustainability Focused Innovations of 2015

Innovation is more than a buzzword, it is an absolutely essential component of the required efforts needed to address the environmental and climate crisis we are facing. Here is a summary of some of the best sustainability focused innovations of 2015 from Sustainia.

On December 6th, 2015 the fourth Sustainia awards celebrated a number of groundbreaking sustainability solutions, technologies and projects from around the world. In honor of COP21 the awards took place in Paris, home to the COP21 climate talks.

The Best of Green in 2015: Products, Projects, Leaders, Corporations, CEOs and Chemistry

Here are some of the best of the best in the green economy from 2015. This includes the best products and projects of the year, the top sustainability leaders and corporate citizens, leading innovative bioeconomy CEOs and the best green chemistry companies. These lists are derived from Energy Manager Today, edie, Corporate Responsiblity (CR) Magazine, Il Bioeconomista and the EPA.

Video - Summary of the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report Synthesis Report

Graphs - IPCC Report: CO2, Temperatures and Emissions

IPCC Synthesis Report: Background and Summary

In November the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its final world Synthesis Report. This is the world's most comprehensive assessment of scientific knowledge on climate change. The conclusions in the report are the starkest warnings yet. Urgent action is required as we are rapidly running out of time.

The final Synthesis Report summarizes three massive climate investigations:

1. The report on the physical science of climate change was released in September 2013. It reiterated the finding that humans are the leading cause of climate change. They further demonstrated that as measured by a number of indicators (ice sheet melt, glacial melt and sea level rise), climate change is occurred faster than predicted. It further stated that this is impacting meteorological conditions by increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.

Chart - Efficiency National Rankings (GGEI)

Chart - Green Investments and Markets National Rankings (GGEI)

Chart - Sustainable Buildings National Rankings (GGEI)

Chart - Green Cities Ranking (GGEI)

Ranking of National Performance in the Green Economy (GGEI)

Global Green Economy Index 2014

The 4th edition of the Global Green Economy Index (GGEI) uses data and indicators to rank 60 countries and 70 cities. The report's publisher Dual Citizen LLC measured four dimensions in defining a green economy - political leadership & climate change, efficiency sectors, markets & investment, and environment & natural capital. Their performance and perception calculations reference both public and internally-generated datasets to calculate the rankings.

Failure to Reduce Emissions will Result in an Ecological and Economic Catastrophe (IPCC's Leaked "Synthesis" Report)

The latest leaked Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report reiterates three points that we already know and warns us of dire consequences if we fail to act. Climate change is here, it is caused by humans and it has a number of dangerous impacts. It is noted that extreme weather like heat waves, drought, flooding and rising seas are already serious problems today.

The document specifically states that as greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise we can expect the situation to worsen. This means more "severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts for people and ecosystems."

Latest IPCC Report on the Viability of Fast Actions to Limit Climate Change Including SLCP

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report indicates that many fast actions for addressing climate change are proving to be more affordable than previously imagined. The report is entitled Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change, it is the third of three Working Group Reports, which make up the IPCC's fifth Assessment Report.

The report addresses the viability of restricting short lived climate pollutants (SLCP) and also indicates that there are a number of other fast actions that can be taken that will have a dramatic impact on global warming without adversely impacting people's quality of life. They include efforts to improve energy efficiency through new building codes, vehicle efficiency standards and increases in renewable energy. The economic viability of clean energy sources like wind and solar are becoming increasingly obvious as they are becoming cheaper to produce and deploy.

Latest IPCC Report Indicates the World is Headed Towards Unacceptable Temperature Increases

If we continue with business as usual we will see a temperature increase of more than 4ºC above preindustrial temperatures by the end of the century. This is more than double the internationally agreed upon upper temperature limit increase of 2ºC.

According to a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions increased by the equivalent of ten billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) between 2000 and 2010. The report entitled Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change, is the third of three Working Group Reports, which make up the IPCC’s fifth Assessment Report on climate change.

The Three Most Revealing IPCC Charts

The Leading Clean Energy Nation in Terms of Both Investment and Installed Capacity

Many nations are moving boldly forward with clean energy investments and installations, but there is one nation that has shown unparalleled leadership for the last several years. The clean energy global investment total for 2013 is about $254 billion and one nation is responsible for more than one fifth of this amount. This nation is leading renewable energy investments and dominating solar and wind installations. They installed more solar and wind capacity in 2013 than any other nation on Earth.