If not us, who? If not now, when?

Protection of the environment and nature is a topic that should be discussed today more than ever because environmental protection and economic development are key problems of today's world. This is the reason we decided to dedicate this week's post to environmental protection and the fight against global warming.

Most of us often think that the topic of global warming is overused and that there is nothing new to learn about it. However, it's hard to ignore and not talk about climate changes because in the past few years they were pretty strong. Our goal is to make you think about how does the fight against global warming and especially implementation of Kyoto protocol influence companies around the world.

In the beginning, just a few words about the Kyoto protocol. According to the Protocol, industrial nations and developing countries commited to reduce emission of harmful gases by 5,2% in the period from 2008 to 2012. The Protocol couldn't be applied before the ratification of industrial countries responsible for 55% of GHG emission; that condition was fulfilled on 18th of November 2004 by joining of the Russian Federation, the country responsible for 17% of greenhouse gases. 34 of 141 nations that ratified the Kyoto protocol are industrial countries, but the most interesting fact is that USA rejected to sign it in 2001.

This immediately opens the biggest question – is the whole project in jeopardy and does it have any sense if US as world's biggest polluter doesn't join?

Experts have different opinions. Everyone agrees that the success would be greater if US participated, but is this reason enough to ignore the progress that is achieved in other countries?

Some of the many questions are: How does the implementation of this protocol influence companies and their management? How do they deal with the costs? Are there any advantages in comparison with companies from countries that didn't sign the Protocol?

Nations that have ratified the Kyoto protocol brought different regulations to reduce gas emission. But the biggest weight falls on companies, especcialy those that work in industries which are responsible for biggest pollutions. Every country can choose some industries or companies that will be spared in some way. This could mean that they aren't obligated to change their manufacturing process in a way that reduces pollution or governments can cover some part of those necessary costs. Why would any government decide to do this? The answer is very simple, every country has specific industries which are critical for its development and competitiveness in global market, so it's in their interest to protect those industries.

Competitiveness – Following the new regulations companies have to invest some funds in technologies that reduce environmental pollution. This increases total cost of the production and affects the price of their products. All of that makes them lose the battle in price competitiveness. But, you can look at this situation from a different angle. Conscious consumers could prefer products made by companies who are helping to preserve the enviromenment and that could increase their competitiveness.

Multinational companies – Let's think about the influence of Kyoto protocol on multinational companies. In various countries, where they have their subsidiaries, are possible differences in protocol implementation because every country has its own prescribed qouta. American companies have a special situation. In most of their subsidiaries they have to follow the Protocol but in their homeland they are not obligated to do so. It's very interesting that Kyoto protocol doesn't count the part of gas reduction that they accomplish on US teritory.

In the end, we would like you to think about following questions: How much attention do you give to global warming? Are you sceptical about this theory and believe it is all just a big hoax? Do you appreciate companies which use clean technologies or is that information completely irrelevant to you?

And remember, environmental protection isn't just a job for companies and governments, but for every conscious person who cares about our planet. So, think about it and ask yourself, could the simple act of throwing a paper in the garbage can be one small step for a man but a giant leap for the mankind.