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Report Shows More Corporations Disclose Water Risk Following SEC Guidance, Though Data is Lacking

June 21, 2012 Comments off

Report Shows More Corporations Disclose Water Risk Following SEC Guidance, Though Data is Lacking
Source: Ceres

Overall corporate disclosures of water-related risks have increased since 2009, but most reporting remains weak and inconsistent according to Clearing the Waters: A Review of Corporate Water Risk Disclosure in SEC Filings, a new report issued today by Ceres.

Since 2010, the Securities and Exchange Commission has required companies to disclose financially material risks from climate change to their investors. These risks include “significant physical effects of climate change, such as effects on the severity of weather (for example, floods or hurricanes), sea levels, the arability of farmland, and water availability and quality.”

In light of this guidance, Clearing the Waters analyzes changes in water risk disclosure by more than 80 companies between 2009 and 2011, finding that though reporting has risen, it is lacking especially in regard to data on financial impacts, quantitative water metrics and potential supply chain risks. The report covers water use in eight water intensive sectors: beverage, chemicals, electric power, food, homebuilding, mining, oil & gas and semiconductors.

New Ceres/Sustainalytics Report Shows Most U.S. Companies Falling Short on Sustainability

April 30, 2012 Comments off

New Ceres/Sustainalytics Report Shows Most U.S. Companies Falling Short on Sustainability
Source: Ceres

In the first major assessment of progress on a unique Ceres Roadmap to corporate sustainability released two years ago, Ceres and global research and analysis firm Sustainalytics today released The Road to 2020: Corporate Progress on the Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability.

The findings – based on an assessment of how 600 U.S. companies are responding to environmental and social challenges such as climate change, water scarcity and supply chain conditions – show individual examples of leadership but significant need for overall improvement.

“While there are encouraging pockets of sustainability leadership in the U.S. business community, far too many companies are only taking small, incremental steps,” said Ceres president Mindy Lubber, in announcing the report at the opening of the Ceres annual conference today in Boston. “Sustainability has yet to gain traction at anywhere near the scale and speed required given the global threats we face.”

+ Full Report

New Report Shows Wide Disparities in Energy Efficiency Programs of 50 U.S. Electric Utilities

November 11, 2011 Comments off

New Report Shows Wide Disparities in Energy Efficiency Programs of 50 U.S. Electric Utilities
Source: Ceres

A new report comparing the energy efficiency programs of 50 electric utility companies shows wide disparities in how much money U.S. utilities are investing in energy efficiency programs, and how successful those programs are at saving energy.

Major utilities, such as National Grid subsidiaries Massachusetts Electric and Narragansett Electric, and Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), are investing up to $4.80 per megawatt-hour of retail electricity sales in energy efficiency programs, according to data furnished by utilities to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). That’s nearly 50 times more than some utilities spent in the same year, including United Electric Coop Service in Texas, and Southern Company subsidiaries Alabama Power and Georgia Power which all spent less than $0.10 (10 cents) per megawatt-hour of retail electricity sales in 2009.

The 50 utilities evaluated in the report achieved energy savings ranging from less than 0.1 percent of total retail sales on the low end to nearly 2 percent of total retail sales on the high end. The 10 highest-ranked utilities all achieved energy savings equal to 1 percent or more of their annual electricity sales.

+ Benchmarking Electric Utility Energy Efficiency Portfolios in the U.S.

Ceres Releases Statement on Fuel Efficiency Agreement, Results of New Report Showing Economic Benefits of Strong MPG

August 1, 2011 Comments off

Ceres Releases Statement on Fuel Efficiency Agreement, Results of New Report Showing Economic Benefits of Strong MPG
Source: Ceres

As President Obama announces the next round of a coordinated national program to improve fuel efficiency for model year 2017-2025 cars and light-duty trucks, Ceres, a national coalition of investors and public-interest organizations, today released “More Jobs Per Gallon,” an economic analysis by the independent firm Management Information Services, Inc. that quantifies what stronger fuel economy/GHG standards would mean for the U.S. economy.

Ceres’ new report evaluated different regulatory scenarios under consideration for CAFE mileage and GHG emissions improvements – specifically, improvements of three, four, five and six percent per year for model years 2017-25.

+ Full Report (PDF)

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