Gaia has prepared a concrete and feasible Emission Reduction Plan for UNESCO’s operations worldwide, to support the United Nations’ efforts to become climate neutral.
Gaia gathered and analysed available data on a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory and developed an ambitous Emission Reduction Plan for UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The plan outlines GHG emission reduction potentials as well as cost investment and savings for each action. Results show that there’s room for important improvements and savings requiring a firm commitment from management and staff of UNESCO alike. The Emission Reduction Plan will be followed by a more comprehensive Sustainability Management System in the near future.
UNESCO has been concerned with the climate impact of the organization during recent years and has carried out activities to reduce emissions and overall environmental impact. Since 2008, UNESCO has committed to estimating its carbon footprint yearly, and Gaia is supporting this process. As part of the UN’s efforts towards climate neutrality, UNESCO has also recently completed an organization-wide GHG emission inventory for 2008 and is working on one for 2009. The new Emission Reduction Plan takes these efforts one step forward.
In June 2007, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on the UN agencies to start efforts towards achieving climate neutrality. Many UN agencies have started working towards this target, assessing their carbon footprint and taking forward initiatives to render their activities more environmentally friendly. At the COP15 in Copenhagen, the UN system presented its efforts towards carbon neutrality in the “Moving Towards Climate Neutral UN” report.
“Global concerns about the impacts of climate change, particularly its adverse effect on developing countries, and the related significant economic costs associated with inaction, have put climate change high on the international agenda. As part of raising awareness of climate risks, an increasing number of corporations and public organizations are taking action to understand their climate footprint, and to reduce their CO2 emissions. This can also lead to more efficient operational practices and help to cut costs related to energy, water and waste. GHG reduction initiatives can form an elementary part of the organizations corporate social responsibility and bring the staff, partners and other stakeholders together to work towards joint goals”, says Pasi Rinne, Chairman of Gaia.
For further information:
- Gaia / Pasi Rinne, Chairman of the Board, gsm +41 79 472 6909, firstname.lastname(at)gaia.fi
