Global warming is not only affecting the environment – it’s also significantly impacting the financial success of top companies. Some corporations are doing well by grappling with the risks and opportunities posed by climate change. They will be better prepared as governments and shareholders focus on the issue. And other companies who lag behind could put their owners at financial risk, according to a first-ever report issued by Ceres. The Ceres report, which ranks the companies on a 100-point scoring system, comes from a coalition of environmentalists and institutional investors, including government pension funds, socially responsible mutual funds and religious investors, with $3 trillion in assets. Highlighting a Leader DuPont, was rated an 85 – a top score among 76 companies. As an Enviance customer, DuPont has already reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 72 percent since 1990. It is developing and marketing an array of "green" products such as Tyvek insulation, energy-efficient refrigerants and corn-based raw materials that can replace plastic produced from oil. William K. Reilly, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during the first Bush Administration and a DuPont director, said at a Ceres news conference: "We've already saved a significant amount of money by moving in this direction." Among the industry sector leaders and laggards: Sector | Leaders | Laggards | | Oil/Gas | BP (90 points*) | ExxonMobil (35)
| | Chemical | DuPont (85**) | PPG (21) | | Metals/Mining | Alcan (77) & Alcoa (74) | Newmont (24) | | Electric Power | AEP & Cinergy (both 73) | Sempra Energy (24)
| | Auto | Toyota (65) | Nissan (33)
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*Top score among the 100 companies
**Top score among 76 U.S. companies
Despite the Bush Administration ignoring the issue, global warming is not going away. A flurry of new books and news articles focus on climate change. In May, Paramount Classics will release a documentary called "The Inconvenient Truth," about Al Gore's crusade to curb global warming. Silicon Valley technologists are taking the problem seriously, as I’ll mention in a blog entry shortly.
by
Erin Swanson
ESwanson@enviance.com | 
