ICF Consulting Predicts Increased Demand for Action on Climate Change Following Release of “The Day After Tomorrow”
Global Warming Blockbuster May Lead to Faster Industry Adoption of Strategies to Reduce GHG Emissions
(PRWEB) June 8, 2004 -- Over the past holiday weekend Hollywood released a
new blockbuster movie that attempts to portray the adverse impacts projected to
result from global warming as a consequence of increasing emissions of
greenhouse gases (GHG). Despite worldwide mandates such as the Kyoto Protocol to
reduce GHG emissions, the burning of fossil, or carbon, fuels for
transportation, heating, and electricity continues to rise around the world.
In order to make the movie more dramatic, the film takes considerable
creative license interpreting the science about the speed and severity of the
impacts of GHG emissions. Drama and hype aside however, the events portrayed in
the movie will raise general awareness regarding climate change, and the
frequency of extreme weather events that may occur as a result of global
warming.
"While no credible scientists are forecasting that New York City
will succumb to instant freezing or that multiple tornadoes will hit Los Angeles
within the short timeframe illustrated in the movie-history has taught us that
major climate shifts have been known to occur within one to two decades and that
these shifts may happen even more abruptly," says Craig Ebert, Managing Director
of ICF Consulting’s Climate Strategy Practice. "We should not assume that
climate change is only a series of gentle, gradual, or imperceptible changes
over a long time period."
According to Ebert, an important outcome from
the release of this movie will be increased public pressure to identify
innovative and cost-effective ways to engineer a shift to a lower carbon
economy. "Fortunately, there is a growing base of knowledge within the public
and private sectors on how this shift can best be accomplished," says Ebert.
Abyd Karmali, ICF Consulting’s Director of European Climate Change
Services adds, "Over the past fifteen years, we have been working with
governments and leading companies in more than 50 countries to develop carbon
management strategies. We have found that market-based instruments such as
emissions trading are well suited to minimizing the overall costs of reducing
emissions. In addition to the longer-term environmental rewards, companies can
reap significant reputation and investor relations benefits as early as 'the day
after tomorrow,' by taking substantive action to reduce their carbon footprint."
ICF Consulting (www.icfconsulting.com) is a leading management, technology,
and policy consulting firm. Drawing upon its extensive industry knowledge,
credentialed professionals, and innovative analytics, the firm develops
solutions to complex energy, environment, emergency management, community
development, and transportation issues. ICF Consulting successfully implements
strategies and analyses in these areas through its expertise in information
technology, organizational improvement, and communications. Since 1969, ICF
Consulting has been serving major corporations, government at all levels, and
multinational institutions.
More than 1,000 employees serve these
clients in the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Africa.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/6/prweb131325.htm