If the recent whiplash weather patterns of Northern Ontario weren’t enough to convince you carbon emissions are no longer someone else’s problem, perhaps seeing how it can affect the bottom-line will?
This has never been more apparent than the recent online event hosted by the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI’s) newly launched Mining Innovation and Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) program in partnership with reThink Green’s Green Economy North program.
The event, held Dec. 9, brought together high-level staff from across the Canadian mining sector to discuss how to account for other organizations' carbon emissions, commonly referred to as “Scope 3 emissions”.
It is the understanding that to get a perfect picture of the climate impact a business creates, they need to know the climate impact other supply-oriented organizations will have engaging with them.
As guest speakers at this event, Green Economy North was thrilled to discover how eager these multi-million-dollar businesses, with agency and ability, were to do business with others who can help them reduce their emissions. After all, there is a clear connection between reducing carbon and reducing costs — consume less and spend less.
This supports what we at Green Economy North, and many other community experts, have been saying for years: the shift to a low-carbon economy is here.
No longer can small-to-medium-sized (SME) enterprises ignore these trends. Especially when key drivers of economic growth, such as the mining sector, are seeking to do business with low-carbon suppliers and producers.
Now that the largest players are ready to make this much-needed shift (not least to remain competitive in a rapidly changing market), everyone needs to get involved, and get prepared.
Businesses need to learn how to track their emissions, produce an action plan, and set targets to reduce their total impact. Carbon management plans are now becoming an essential tool, which can be shared with potential business partners.
The impacts of climate change could (and are) being experienced in many ways. The effects of extreme weather, caused by man-made climate change, could lead to business closures on a temporary or permanent basis. That is not business as usual.
The low-carbon economy is here, and it’s time for the North to get involved. Businesses interested in pursuing low carbon pathways, are invited to connect with us at Green Economy North.
Simon Blakeley
Program Director
Green Economy North