October, 27 2009, 11:16am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Steve Smith, Fenton Communications
202-465-5352Â or
Casey Harrell, Greenpeace, 415 307 3382
Greenpeace to I.T. Sector: Step Up Climate Action, Distance Yourselves from US Chamber of Commerce
Industry that Could Profit Most from Innovations to Solve Climate Change Remains Silent as Others Attempt to Derail Progress
WASHINGTON
With crucial political negotiations coming to a
head in Copenhagen and Capitol Hill, IT industry heavyweights Google,
Microsoft and IBM still hesitate to speak up on the urgent need for
emissions reductions, despite the reality that they stand to profit
from said reductions, reveals the latest Greenpeace Cool IT
leaderboard, which assesses the industry's response to the climate
crisis. The assessment and detailed methodology is available at
www.greenpeace.org/coolit
The IT industry stands to profit
significantly by selling energy efficient tech solutions to reduce
greenhouse gases, yet has been dramatically outspent and mostly silent
in support of strong climate policies in the United States or
internationally. Instead, IT companies continue to fund the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce's regressive and destructive stance on climate
issues, even when unaligned with their own climate policies.
"Apple's recent bold move to
leave the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over its obstruction of government
efforts to address climate change contrasts strongly with its
competitors Google, Microsoft and IBM's relative inaction at this
crucial juncture for our climate," said Casey Harrell, Greenpeace
International's IT industry analyst. "IT companies can and should
publicly and demonstratively call for a change in the Chamber's
position on climate or leave the Chamber altogether."
Companies' clear public support
for strong emissions reductions is a key scoring criteria on
Greenpeace's leaderboard, along with the company's measurable,
economy-wide climate solutions, as well as concrete efforts to reduce
their own emissions. IBM, HP and Fujitsu occupy the top 3 places in
this assessment, but no company scores above 50 out of a possible 100.
Google- a new addition- comes in at number four, scoring 32.
The Smart 2020 report ( (www.smart2020.org)
commissioned by the IT industry itself, clearly outlines how IT
solutions have the potential to cut global GHG emissions by a
remarkable 15 percent by 2020.
"Even though the IT industry will
profit from strong emissions reduction targets, disappointingly, it is
not even close to its potential of leading the way to a low carbon
economy," added Harrell.. "IT giants like Microsoft, Google and IBM
need to put their weight behind a strong deal at Copenhagen now, or
else the world will lose out again to dirty industry's negative
lobbying and the U.S. Chamber's campaign to deny sound science and
public support for progress."
IBM holds the top spot on the
leaderboard due to an extensive range of climate solutions and action
to reduce its own emissions, but is only one point ahead of HP, which
has improved greatly since the last Greenpeace assessment in May. Both
HP and Toshiba show strong progress by providing more comprehensive
information on how their climate solutions can reduce global emissions.
Dell, Nokia and Sony all failed to show significant improvement in
their scores since May 2009.
Google has clearly set out a plan
for reducing emissions by 2030 but is has not yet spoken up on the need
for a strong global deal at Copenhagen. The CEO of Ericsson has made
prominent speeches on the urgency of climate change and the importance
of Copenhagen, but the leaders of Nokia, Dell, Microsoft and Sony,
among others stay silent on the most urgent issue facing the planet.
Sharp stands out as the only
Japanese company to indicate support for the strong reduction target of
the new Japanese Government. Panasonic, new to the leaderboard
assessment, can increase its score on several criteria for the next
assessment.
The next edition of the Cool IT leaderboard, with several new companies, will be released in early 2010
Greenpeace is a global, independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future.
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A trio of U.S. senators on Friday introduced what's being billed as first-of-its-kind legislation sponsors say will "take on the greed of the food and beverage industry and address the growing diabetes and obesity epidemics" with a federal ban on junk food ads targeting children.
The Childhood Diabetes Reduction Act—introduced by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.)—would also require warning labels "on sugar-sweetened foods and beverages; foods and beverages containing non-sugar sweeteners; ultra-processed foods; and foods high in nutrients of concern, such as added sugar, saturated fat, or sodium."
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The impact on the economy is enormous: Last year, the total cost of diabetes exceeded $400 billion, approximately 10% of overall U.S. healthcare expenditures.
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According to Seitz:
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Responding to the reporting on social media, journalist Jane Mayer declared, "This is barbaric."
Texas Poor People's Campaign said that women in the state "are being left to die in ER waiting rooms. We cannot let this policy violence against women continue. Please join us as we mobilize voters for the '24 election."
Going into November, abortion has been a key issue at the state and federal level. Supporters of reproductive freedom are working to advance various ballot measures while Democratic President Joe Biden's campaign has highlighted his support for abortion rights and the presumptive Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, has bragged about his role in reversing Roe—he appointed three of the six justices behind the majority opinion.
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