Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers is joining the virtual stage with Nobel laureate and former Vice President Al Gore on Wednesday morning to talk about climate change and technology innovation.
Al Gore
Chambers and Gore will use Cisco's telepresence system to communicate with a live audience at the VoiceCon trade show in in Orlando, Fla. They will discuss how unified communications technology, like the telepresence platform, can play a role in reducing carbon emissions, which are impacting climate change.
John Chambers
They'll also discuss other ideas for how businesses can reduce greenhouse gas emissions through innovative technologies and how the technology industry can create a sustainable model for addressing climate change.
The event will be Webcast live starting at 11 a.m. EDT/8 a.m. PDT. And anyone interested in tuning in can register at the Cisco Web site to sign up in advance.
My colleague Martin LaMonica, who covers green technology, will be listening to the Webcast. So look for a blog post from him later Wednesday.
Carbon counting, it seems, is a growth business.
Carbonetworks, from Victoria, British Columbia, has developed software that gives companies a way to make financial decisions around their carbon emissions. It's one of several organizations sprouting up and looking to build a business or derive revenue from regulatory limits on carbon.
Although North America does not yet have regulations that cap greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, companies are already keeping track of their emissions, said CEO Michael Meehan, who started Carbonetworks in early 2006.
Even after doing an inventory, though, companies don't have a unified way of managing that information, he said.
Carbonetworks' software lets people bring their inventory information from different sources, such as environmental, health and safety applications, into one place and make decisions on how to reduce it.
A company could purchase renewable energy credits, which are meant to promote clean energy projects, invest directly in a clean energy project, or undergo an energy-efficiency program. The software gives people a way to compare the financial impact among different types of projects, Meehan said.
The company also acts as a broker between providers and buyers of offsets, including renewable energy credits (REC), which are the green attributes of electricity generation.
Needless to say, accurate information on carbon emissions and offsets is increasingly important.
There are already local carbon-capping regimes being put in place in North America. At the federal level, there are a number of laws now in the works.
Corporations who aren't from typical "smokestack" industries, like power generation, oil, gas, or heavy manufacturing, take emissions seriously.
Yahoo, for example, on Monday detailed two projects it invested in--a hydroelectric plant in Brazil and wind turbines in rural India. It's part of its plan to be a carbon-neutral company.
At the same time, there is a growing scrutiny of carbon-offsetting practices. A BusinessWeek article published on Friday profiled an environmental officer at Aspen Skiing Company who is moving away from renewable energy credits because of doubts over their effectiveness. Voluntary carbon offsets for individuals have also faced the same sort of scrutiny.
Meehan said Carbonetworks works with verification companies on offset projects. At times internal projects prove more beneficial than purchasing carbon credits, he said.
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