Across the digital universe, brands are asking consumers to click for the good of the planet. Many social media-driven initiatives are naturally intended to build greater awareness of the brand’s own social responsibility positioning. But in asking consumers to create, vote, like, pledge and share online, can these tactics actually foster a change in attitude or even behaviour? Can social media help build a more sustainable society, one campaign at a time?

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Most efforts to slow the impact of global warming have focused on reducing carbon emissions, because it is the largest component and, according to the EPA, the most dominant and the fastest growing greenhouse gas. But CO2 is only one of several greenhouse gases. A team of scientists suggest that an easier and possibly more effective approach, at least in the short term, would be to focus on methane and soot.

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The folks at Skeptical Science have put together a review of various scientific investigations into the causes of global warming, in hope sof coming up with a definitive answer. This seems like a good time to do this, in the midst of Republican primary season, as the various candidates try to one-up each other on bashing the science in lieu of what their supporters would prefer to hear.

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Reaching a 30% by 2020 EU emissions reduction target would be less than originally estimated, according to an EC study that also includes a plan that not only spreads the costs more equitably, but could benefit weaker member countries financially.

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As promised by the EPA, the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions are now mapped for all to see, and it’s not a pretty sight. The online emissions database displays 2010 GHG emissions data from more than 6,700 large facilities and suppliers. The data includes public information from facilities in nine industry groups that directly emit large [...]

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3p is proud to partner with the Presidio Graduate School’s Managerial Marketing course on a blogging series about “sustainable marketing.” This post is part of that series. To follow along, please click here. By Griff Foxley In part 1 of this post, I explored some of the forces at play today that are creating a [...]

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Without a doubt, the year 2011 has been a remarkable year in the journey to a sustainable future. There have been some exhilarating highs and some devastating lows. While a steady drumbeat of warnings about climate destabilization persists, growing ever louder, the response seems to finally be an awakening of consciousness of the need to [...]

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The following post is part of the course work for “Live Exchange” the foundational course on communication for The MBA Design Strategy Program at California College of the Arts. The rest of the posts are presented here. By Ryan Wilday As an industrial designer, and design strategist, I am a prolific user of paper. Whether [...]

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It went into overtime and ended in three days of intense, non-stop negotiations, but UNFCCC delegates to the Durban climate conference agreed on the three pivotal agenda items: making commitments to extend the Kyoto Protocol, setting up the organizational structure and funding mechanisms for the Copenhagen Green Climate Fund, and setting out a roadmap to a global greenhouse gas emissions reduction treaty that’s slated to go into effect in 2020.

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The following post is part of the course work for “Live Exchange” the foundational course on communication for The MBA Design Strategy Program at California College of the Arts. The rest of the posts are presented here. By Corine Prothero Effective sustainability conversations need to be heard everywhere. Select students, communities, grassroots movements, businesses, and [...]

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A sense of optimism pervaded the atmosphere in Durban on the penultimate day and final morning of the UNFCCC’s 17th annual climate change treaty talks, according to one solar industry observer. Rumor was that an agreement to commit to the second phase of the Kyoto Protocol and also extend it beyond its 2020 expiration date were within reach.

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As the Durban climate talks heat up, new research shows with near certainty that the global rise in temperatures over the last 60 years has been caused primarily by humans. Good news on the forest conservation front was announced by Sierra Leone and Great Britain. The former is establishing the Gola Rainforest National Park, while the UK government is putting around $16 million into efforts to stop illegal logging in Brazil’s Cerrado.

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Unseasonal torrential rain buffeted Durban, SA on the eve of UN climate change talks beginning. The International Chamber of Shipping, Oxfam and the WWF have proposed a carbon tax that could raise $25 billion a year to help developing countries mitigate and adapt to climate change.

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The United Nations recently released a Human Development Report that brings to light the global challenges of sustainability and equity. The report points out that although living standards in most countries have been rising, from now on if environmental deterioration and social inequalities continue to intensify, the least developed nations will show a downward growth by 2050. [...]

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There was some pretty grim news on the carbon emissions front last week. According to the US Dept. of Energy, emissions for the year 2010 jumped considerably over the previous year, and that is in spite of the economic downturn. The 564 million ton jump, the largest ever, put more carbon into than atmosphere than [...]

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Over the weekend I had the pleasure of moderating a panel at the Los Angeles Green Festival entitled, “My brother-in-law is a global warming denier,” attempting to answer that very question.

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Apple Skin Skies examines the idea that our atmosphere is thin relative to the size of the planet and the number of humans on its surface. A connection is drawn between the thickness of an apple skin relative to its diameter and how with this simple mental exercise it becomes more clear how human activity could bring about global warming.

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The South African government will enact an emissions cap and new energy industry regulations in an effort to spur development of alternative, clean and renewable energy and mitigate climate change. The new regulations will penalize heavy polluters that don’t comply with greenhouse gas emission limits with fines.

The new plan was adopted by the South African cabinet of President Jacob Zuma Tuesday in advance of UN Framework Convention on Climate Change representatives from around the world converging on the South African coastal city of Durban later this year in what’s set to be the most important round of UN efforts to hammer out a successor or alternative to the 1992 Kyoto Protocol since the UNFCCC’s 2009 Conference of Parties gathering in Copenhagen in 2009.

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The environmental movement is, and has been, well aware of the fact that it needs to work on increasing ethnic, age, and income diversity. Mark Tercek, the CEO of The Nature Conservancy, contemplates in his April 7th Huffington Post Green article a study in which EPA officials challenge the movement to become more racially diverse.

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Australia is poised to pass a historic national carbon tax. Narrowly passed in the Australian government’s lower house, the carbon tax bill is now due up for vote in the Senate. Conservation and climate science groups, along with labor unions and the Greens Party, are urging the Senate to pass the legislation quickly, while Australia’s big business interests continue to oppose its passage.

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The latest victim of climate change could well be something we all take for granted. It is delicious, ubiquitous, and most people cannot think of dessert without it. The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) recently released a report that states that chocolate will soon become a luxury item that few can afford. Various reports [...]

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Moving Planet is an annual event that is celebrated worldwide, in an effort to advise, educate, and increase awareness about climate change.

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There are several obstacles to overcome in order to have the much-needed switch to renewables…

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As part of the Clinton Global Initiative, former President Bill Clinton voiced his thoughts about global warming and climate refugees in a round-table discussion. Climate change will have an adverse effect on many people living in vulnerable areas, especially coastal regions. Island nations will be most severely hit, already hot countries will see an increase in [...]

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London Fashion week kicked off last Friday and the New York Fashion week is going on this week. Every designer that matters is showing off their fall/winter collection and every critic, celebrity and retailer is taking note of runway trends within this tiny microcosm. It might be tiny but this mostly ethically callous microcosm is [...]

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Last month, Newt Gingrich-trained spokesman for anti-global warming forces, Mark Morano, announced on Fox TV the “collapse of global warming science.” And he’s got legions reiterating his message. According to Morano, 7 of 8 lobbyists on global warming are now “anti-action” lobbyists.

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Al Gore is mad as hell about his campaign to get the word out about global warming being smothered by a heavily funded doubt campaign and a disinterested media, and he’s not going to take it anymore. But unlike Howard Beale in the 1976 film “Network,” he hasn’t simply gone to the nearest window to [...]

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Most people, when they think about global warming, and the sources of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which, by the way, just hit 392 ppm last month, think about coal-fired power plants, or cars and trucks rolling down the highway. Few, if any, think about the highway itself, or the concrete bridges and overpasses that [...]

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Everybody travels and everybody stays at hotels one time or another but travelling comes with a steep carbon as well as water footprint. For example, every day you stay at a hotel, you might burn enough fossil fuels to release more than 33 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The good news is that [...]

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Things are heating up when it comes to the protests outside of the Whitehouse over the Keystone XL pipeline, a $7 billion, 1,700 mile project. James Hansen, head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, was arrested on August 29 while protesting. Hansen, who was one of the first scientists to warn about global warming, [...]

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