Microsoft Urges Strong Action on Climate in Copenhagen
One of the world's largest technology companies is taking a strong team to Copenhagen with a simple message: act now to reduce global warming pollution and drive innovation in clean and efficient energy.
The world "must act now" to stop global warming pollution, and information technology provides key solutions. Those are the key messages that Microsoft's Chief Environmental Strategist, Rob Bernard, is taking to the world climate discussions that began today in Copenhagen. Microsoft is going to the meetings with a large team that will both providing technical support as well as participating in discussions with leaders from governments, businesses and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). You can read Microsoft's statement here.
The statement includes strong support for science based targets to reduce global warming and the need for quick action, stating: “Today, a growing number of governments and scientists have endorsed a goal of limiting global average temperature rise to less than two degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. According to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, released in 2007, meeting this goal will require a 50 to 85 percent global reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. To achieve these goals, we must act now. While we have the technologies to address the challenges today, the world needs the right set of policies in place to stimulate public and private markets to make the right investments now to achieve climate and environmental goals.”
Microsoft also issued a more detailed set of policy recommendations for the climate conference and has posted a special website focused on its participation in the conference. These documents emphasize the need for action and specifically recommend that governments adopt "market-based emissions reduction frameworks which are stable and predictable over the long-term to foster private investment in sustainable low-carbon and carbon-free energy sources and technologies."
Microsoft also outlines a vision for innovative information and computing technology as key drivers to:
o Empower people and organizations with software tools that help increase energy efficiency.
o Accelerate innovation and deployment of clean energy sources through research and development.
o Provide government decision makers with tools to better predict the impact of climate change through the aggregation of large amounts of scientific data as well as on-the-ground information provided from local citizens.
