More Trade, More Wealth, More Carbon.(Company overview)

BYLINE: By JACK KOHANE

If everyone is carbon neutral, then we do not have to worry about global warming." It''s an approach to doing business that Ron Dembo calls Enterprise Carbon Management.

One of Canada''s leading environmental advocates, Dr. Dembo led off the Environmental Strategy series of forums held at the 41st Annual Supply Chain & Logistics Conference in Vaughan, Ont. The theme of his presentation was how enterprise can reduce its carbon footprint and help combat climate change. A world-renowned authority in risk management, he is the founder and CEO of ZeroFootprint, a Toronto-based organization that engages in sustainable commerce.

"The problem of climate change is perhaps the most significant threat our world is facing," Dr. Dembo stated. He pointed out that the average individual in the developed world consumes 32 times as much as a person in a developing country. In addition, 16 per cent of the world''s population based in North America, Europe and Japan consumes two-thirds of the world''s paper and half its wood.

"More trade means more wealth and, consequently, more carbon," Dr. Dembo said. "This is a big problem!"

He noted Canada''s shoddy results in the latest socio-economic performance report card (June 2007) compiled by the Conference Board of Canada. In terms of the environment, Canada earned a dismal "D" based on its poor performance on climate change and waste generation. It ranked 14th among the 17 countries benchmarked. Sweden topped the list.

One of the solutions to boost Canada''s performance in this area, according to Dr. Dembo, lies in Enterprise Carbon Management. "The ubiquity of carbon means that it requires a holistic enterprise-wide response," he stated. "Carbon must be measured, monitored and managed across the board. It must be tackled top down and bottom up."