Asset Publisher

Single title

Climate Change and CSR: Can Voluntarism Pay?

Presented in anticipation of the coming UNFCCC (COP 21) meeting in Paris

The idea for the position paper "Climate Change and CSR: Can Voluntarism Pay?" was formulated during the seminar "Climate Change & CSR - Between Growing Public Expectations and a Lack of Global Response" organized jointly by the KAS Israel and the Corporate Social Responsibility Institute in June 2014.During the seminar, the complex relations between two major topics, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and climate change, were examined. This position paper aims to thematically organize the link between the two, and to facilitate further discussion and research.

Asset Publisher

Executive Summary

1. Climate Change is undoubtedly the major environmental and social challenge of our generation. Real climatic changes are evident with the late years being the hottest on record, extended fires and a proved rise in sea level.

2. Until now, global deliberation efforts have failed to change humanity's direction and reduce GHG emissions.

3. Climate change (also called 'global warming') is incorrectly assumed to involve a unidirectional change from cold to warm temperatures, while the true environmental ramifications of these changes have been revealed as leading to climate imbalance and thus should be properly referred to as “climate unrest.”

4. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an evolving and dynamic framework that aims at aligning normative public expectations with the conduct of the business sector.

5. CSR is not just a marketing tool. It is a fundamental 'beyond compliance' issue, as responsibility is associated with voluntarism.

6. Climate change entails not only negative social and environmental risks, but also considerable financial opportunities for certain business sectors. Risk avoidance and taking opportunities are the major motivational factors for engaging businesses, and can be framed as adaptation.

7. Environmental NGOs are setting high expectations for the business sector to reduce its GHG emissions and take responsibility for its contribution to climate unrest.

8. If climate change remains a CSR issue only, the necessary fundamental changes in conduct will not take place.

9. Local mandatory GHG mitigation frameworks are necessary to harness the business sector into action and commitment simply because corporations are legal entities subject to local laws and thus obligated to operate under regulatory constraints.

10. The time to act is now!

Asset Publisher

comment-portlet

Asset Publisher