Keywords
Citation
Healy, N.A. (2014), "Editor's note", Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. 35 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBS-04-2014-0038
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Editor's note
Article Type: Editor's note From: Journal of Business Strategy, Volume 35, Issue 3
Any business anywhere in the world that is not concerned about climate change has its proverbial head in the sand. On Monday, March 30, scientists meeting in Yokohama, Japan, at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued their Fifth Assessment Report. The New York Times summarized the findings in a sobering column eight lead article (March 31, 2014):
Ice caps are melting, sea ice in the Arctic is collapsing, water supplies are coming under stress, heat waves and heavy rains are intensifying, coral reefs are dying, and fish and many other creatures are migrating toward the poles or in some cases going extinct.
The oceans are rising at a pace that threatens coastal communities and are becoming more acidic as they absorb some of the carbon dioxide given off by cars and power plants (....). And the worst is yet to come.
As the report cautioned, no one will be untouched and no business will be unaffected. The scenario sounds disastrous, but individuals are extremely limited in the actions they can take. Governments and businesses and non-governmental organizations need to take the lead in protecting our world. Businesses need to incorporate climate safeguards more actively into their strategies, where appropriate and where possible.
We encourage Journal of Business Strategy readers to investigate climate change and perhaps watch the video from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change press conference (www.ipcc.ch).