The Unfinished Business of Copenhagen Is Our Business
 
As we continue to make sense both of what did and did not happen at the recent Copenhagen summit, a few things are already clear.
 
First, we did not -- and will not soon -- be handed the clear policy framework we might want to make the large-scale investments needed to fully address global climate change.
 
Second, and by the same token, the business community can and must take a more prominent role, together with a variety of partners in civil society and government at all levels -- from the international to the regional, national, and even local. As Paul Dickinson points out in his piece, the private sector will be counted upon to provide a significant proportion of the investment and action needed to drive us to a low-carbon economy, and yet it was not adequately included (at least directly) in the negotiations in Copenhagen.
 
While we may reasonably hope, as Paul does, that greater opportunities for business involvement will emerge in some of the follow-up steps called for in Copenhagen, it also makes sense to look elsewhere for opportunities to move the agenda forward. It is possible that we will look back on Copenhagen as one of the last attempts made to solve a complex global problem with primary reliance on 20th Century institutional frameworks -- frameworks that don't account for the rise of the global South/East and the emergence of nongovernmental players (mainly the private and civil society sectors) as key players in global "governance."
 
So, what is to be done? First -- as this week's news items illustrate -- there continues to be significant action and innovation on multiple fronts, from technology to investor action and venture capital investment. Second, see our feature article from my BSR colleague Ryan Schuchard for a set of specific 2010 predictions and related recommendations covering everything from new forms of policy engagement to supply chain innovation.
 
Eric Olson is senior vice president of advisory services at BSR.

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Mark your calendars for two 2010 State of Green Business Forums, in San Francisco and Chicago. These one-day information-packed events coincide with the release of GreenBiz.com’s “State of Green Business 2010,” the acclaimed annual status report on corporate environmental trends and progress.