More Corporations Board Climate Train

Interesting news came from Washington today, as the very pro-green Environmental Defense Fund released a statement of principles for regulating greenhouse gases. What makes the news interesting is that Environmental Defense secured as co-signatories eleven of the most prominent energy and manufacturing companies in America. At a time when the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's spokesman for environmental affairs says, "The (economic ) crisis puts the nail in the coffin for climate change," and the Chamber's web site predicts economic calamity if CO2 is regulated as a pollutant, others in the business community are ready to cooperate with environmentalists to address the gathering threat.

In its statement, Environmental Defense and the firms joining as signatories agree on four "common beliefs" and "support a balanced and constructive way forward." These are, in part:

1. The Supreme court's decision in Massachusetts v. EPA requires the EPA to determine whether greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health and welfare.

2. Congress should be the authoritative body to undertake the essential work to craft comprehensive climate legislation.

3. While congress deliberates EPA should take the lead in developing a unifying framework for regulating greenhouse gases.

4. EPA should advance policy actions that address the potential for unintended adverse consequences.

The energy companies signing on include American Electric Power, Austin Energy, National Grid, Pacific Gas & Electric, Public Services Energy Group, AES, NRG Energy and Reliant Energy. The manufacturers are American Honda Motors, Texas Industries and 3M. All of these firms are heavyweights. For thumbnails of their size and operations see the Environmental Defense announcement.

The lesson here is of the possibility for sensible, reasonable and necessary cooperation flowing from the results of the recent election. With the climate deniers defeated, there may now be a synergistic relationship between responsible environmentalism and proactive corporations who see the opportunities inherent in a way forward that mitigates damage to the biosphere while helping the economy at the same time. Fossil fuels will of necessity remain an important part of the mix for some years to come, but business leaders who are looking ahead are the ones who will help lead the way into the future and position their companies to reap the rewards. Announcements such as today's are welcome steps in the right direction, and we will be seeing more like them in the next few years.