Sizing Up Big Business' Climate Footprint

Sizing Up Big Business' Climate Footprint
A new scorecard ranks corporate contributions to global warming
—By Anna Cynar, Utne.com

June 21, 2007 Issue

Who's contributing to global warming, and who's engaged in the fight against it? Coke or Pepsi? Yahoo or Google? McDonalds or, well, any other fast food? For the environmentally conscious consumer, the newly released Climate Counts Company Scorecard may be able to provide some answers.

The scorecard, which measures how many of the world's corporate giants are responding to climate change, was released this week by the nonprofit Climate Counts, a collaboration between organic yogurt maker Stonyfield Farm and the environmental nonprofit Clean Air-Cool Planet. One of the main criteria factored into the scores was whether the companies even measured their own climate impact. Of the 56 evaluated companies, 16 scored less than 10 points on the 100-point scale for not even taking that first step. Other factors taken into account include the companies' efforts to reduce emissions, their public disclosure of environmental information, and whether they back or block legislation aimed at tackling climate change.

Users can now visit the website to find out how all 56 companies fared individually, or visitors can print out a pocket-sized reference card with the information. Soon, Climate Counts plans to make the information available through text messages, so that users can find out about companies directly from their cell phones.

http://www.utne.com/webwatch/2007_304/news/12638-1.html