In a publication brought by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) there are examples of companies reacting on the climate change and its impact. The examples, however, are few and far between in a region that is vulnerable to climate change, the publication concludes.
Companies that will be exposed to the ravages of dramatic shifts in the weather and natural disasters are still to join the wave seeking green business answers, reveals the report, ‘Making Climate Your Business – Private Sector Adaptation in Southeast Asia’.
‘’The private sector has been slow to react,’’ notes the 59-page publication brought out by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).
‘’Thus far, business has shown less interest in addressing the impacts of climate change in its operations than the public sector and civil society.’’
‘’Climate change presents several major challenges for business with operations or customers/ suppliers in South-east Asia,’’ adds the report, which was released to frame discussions at a conference on the role of the Asia-Pacific business community in adapting to climate change.
‘’The train is rolling and if you are not onboard, companies may lose business opportunities and politicians may lose votes,’’ Anders Nordstron, director-general of SIDA, said at the conference that drew nearly 300 delegates from major private corporations in the region.
‘’It is in their own self-interest for businesses to take the issue of climate change seriously,’’ said Noeleen Heyzer, head of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), a Bangkok-based U.N. body that co-hosted the conference, which drew nearly 300 representatives from major business houses in the region.
‘’There are new opportunities to trade, new products, green products.’’
