Risk Assessment | The Green Economy Post: Green Careers, Green Business, Sustainability

The Catastrophic Downside Risk of Nuclear, Oil, Gas, and Coal

By Chris de Morsella on April 19, 2011 10 Comments BP Oil spill, chris de morsella, Climate Change, Deepwater Horizon, Energy system, Exxon Valdez, Fukushima-Daiichi, global warming, Green Economy Post, Gulf of Mexico, Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, Japan, New York City, nuclear accident, nuclear energy, nuclear meltdown, oil spill, Price-Anderson Act, risk assessment, Yukio Edano

Energy systems need to also be measured according to the potential risks associated with them in the advent of failure. And the actuarial costs of these risks need to be better understood and included into the market price for the energy that these systems produce. This post examines this catastrophic downside risk of nuclear and fossil energy focusing on the recent events in Japan and on the BP oil spill as two recent examples of hugely expensive catastrophes. It poses the question why should the taxpayers and the public bear the burden of these costs in this manner artificially lowering the price these energy sectors are thus able to charge for their products.

What Skills are Needed to Succeed as a Sustainability Professional?

By Tracey de Morsella on March 15, 2010 1 Comment auditing, change management, Climate Change, competencie, energy, environmental compliance, GHG, International Society of Sustainability Professionals, ISSP, risk assessment, ROI, Skills, Social responsibility performances tended to be less important than environmental concerns, sustainability, sustainability certificate, sustainability professional, sustainability professionals, The Sustainability Professional: 2010 Competency Survey Report

The Sustainability Professional: 2010 Competency Survey Report provides insights into what sustainability professionals see as important skills needed and what are their most critical challenges.

The Largest Companies are Falling Short in Managing and Disclosing Water Scarcity Risks

By Sharath Bhaskar on March 10, 2010 1 Comment Arizona Public Services, beverage, beverages, Bloomberg, California State Teachers Retirement System, CalSTRS, Ceres, Ceres investor coalition, chemicals, clean potable water, coal mining, Diageo, direct operations, electric power, energy, ESG, food, fossil, fossil fuels, gas, homebuilding, investors, Jack Ehnes, julie Hudson, mining, oil, Pinnacle West, risk assessment, semiconductors, stakeholder engagement, supply chain, UBS, UBS Investment Bank, us securities and exchange commission, waste water treatment, water accounting, water disclosure practices, water reporting, Water Scarcity, water security, Xstrata

Ceres has released the ﬁrst comprehensive assessment and ranking of water disclosure practices of 100 publicly-traded companies in eight key sectors exposed to water-related risks: beverage, chemicals, electric power, food, homebuilding, mining, oil and gas, and semiconductors. The report highlights best practices, key gaps and trends in water reporting and lays out a set of recommendations for companies and investors.