December 21st, 2009 by Amit Chatterjee

While expectations were low for a binding agreement to come out of Copenhagen, the deal reached at the conference marks a promising milestone by major countries coming together to form an agreement. This is clearly a marathon and not a sprint, the only question being how far along the race course are we?  While the global warming clock is ticking, it’s encouraging that real progress is being made. What seems clear is alignment on the need for a global framework, which helps set the rules of the road for business – where the rubber hits the road when it comes to addressing climate change.  The post-carbon economy is coming.

For a summary take on the conference and outcomes check out the post-conference thoughts below that I shared with Bruce Richardson of AMR Research, posted on their The Future of Enterprise Software blog.

• I estimated that the event drew over 40,000 attendees and observers, including 30,000 from nongovernmental organizations, 5,000 government delegates, 5,000 from businesses, and a smattering of celebrities. While most of the business attendees were from the sustainability or energy management departments, I estimated that there were 200 to 300 CEOs and C-level executives.

• The utility industry was well represented. Several European governments are considering offering incentives to the utilities in exchange for helping enterprises consume less energy and/or decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. There was a lot of discussion about providing businesses with real-time data on energy consumption.

• Tied to operational efficiency, brand, and risk mitigation, carbon management is quickly emerging as a core element of corporate strategy. This is different than 12 months ago, when most of the focus was on compliance.

• Unilever and Coca-Cola jointly released a new consumer goods value chain how-to guide, “Moving Fast to a Cleaner Climate.”

• I saw tremendous alignment among the business leaders present on the need for a global framework and setting a price on carbon.

• While most of the press attention was focused on GHG, water was top of mind for many attendees. The combination of a rise in temperatures and lack of potable water could turn regions like Africa into “an incinerator,” as one attendee described it. For CPG companies, the primary issue is water conservation and reuse, while semiconductor manufacturers are worried about wastewater.

• MRV is the newest acronym. It stands for measure, report, and validate.

• Organizers will be hosting a follow-on event in July in Mexico City. There was some discussion about a return to Copenhagen.