Global 500 Carbon Disclosure Project report
Despite a challenging economic environment in many of the world's economies the overall Global 500 response rate for CDP 2009 is 82% (409), up from 77% (383) last year. This suggests that, despite short term concerns and pressure on senior management time, climate change remains high on the agenda and the value of the CDP exercise endures. The responses in 2009 reveal that a global agreement in Copenhagen would provide increased certainty for the Global 500 looking to set medium and long term emissions reduction targets.
Other notable findings in 2009 include: the number of Asian companies responding increasing by 39% from 2008; the response rate from the BRIC countries doubling from 2008; the standard of disclosure was highest for Utilities, followed by Health Care and Materials; five countries (France, Germany, Japan, UK and US) account for 70% of emissions (Scope 1 and 2) and 70% of respondents for the Global 500; and, all responding companies now account for around 11.5% of total global emissions on the basis of direct, or Scope 1, emissions.
The depth and standard of responses from the world's largest companies to the latest CDP questionnaire is a measure of shareholder and corporate engagement on the issue of climate change. The responses demonstrate the many positive steps that have been taken by Global 500 companies over the past year. Climate change is becoming an increasingly important issue for the majority of large businesses and companies look to share information on their carbon performance and climate risks and opportunities with investors and other stakeholders.
