At the Rio+20 talks last week, the UK Government announced plans to implement Labour’s framework on carbon reporting. In the latest of our Rio+20 essays from our new pamphlet, Richard Howitt MEP considers the responsibilities of business in sustainable development.
If all human behaviour has to change to prevent a headlong rush towards catastrophic climate change for our planet, then for our companies and our economy it cannot continue with “business as usual.”
The list of corporate scandals is long – big-name companies, accused of grievous human rights abuses and environmental desecration in developing countries. Allowing rivers to run with acid, indigenous people to be forcibly displaced from their land and children to work in toxic mines beyond our borders. But the tone of the debate has changed in recent years, away from the headline-grabbing abuses of a few companies, towards the need for every company to chart its course towards operating in a low-carbon economy. Continue reading
