Climate change, global warming, extreme temperatures—these and other environmentally focused headlines are increasingly consuming our media feeds each day. From ongoing commentary on the cost of weather-related climate disasters in 2017 to the water drought crisis unfolding in Cape Town, it’s clear that the effects of climate change are global, and the impact can be seen and felt all around us.
As a company with operations in more than 100 countries around the globe—and $2.8 billion in purchasing power that we deploy through our global supply chain—we recognize that we are not immune to the effects of climate change on our business and operations. Climate change presents a current and future issue for our planet. Only collective solutions focused on both the short and long term will enable us to slow its effects, thrive in its existence and significantly impact the future outcomes for generations to come.
Organizations across the globe, such as the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals or CDP’s efforts to measure environmental impact, are already working on such solutions. These are just two examples of the many initiatives that seek to bring companies, organizations and individuals together to address climate change today, while also identifying what we can all do to make a positive impact for the future.
Di Nielsen, kami melihat dampak perubahan iklim di seluruh bisnis kami dengan berbagai cara. Meningkatnya suhu, misalnya, menyebabkan peningkatan biaya pendinginan untuk pusat data kami. Harga bahan bakar yang lebih tinggi memengaruhi pengumpulan data dan pendekatan kami terhadap efisiensi perjalanan dalam model layanan klien kami. Relevansi perubahan iklim bersifat agnostik bagi industri. Pada tingkat yang berbeda-beda, hal ini merupakan bagian dari profil risiko sebagian besar perusahaan global, apa pun sektornya. Dan lensa tersebut melampaui risiko yang terkait dengan kenaikan biaya.
Pada akhir tahun 2017, kami menyaksikan hal ini secara langsung. Di tengah berbagai peristiwa iklim yang berkaitan dengan cuaca pada musim gugur yang lalu, perhatian utama kami tentu saja adalah karyawan kami. Memastikan bahwa karyawan kami aman dan terlindungi merupakan, dan akan selalu menjadi, prioritas utama kami. Pemulihan bencana dan kelangsungan bisnis telah menjadi bagian dari proses Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) kami selama bertahun-tahun. Namun, peristiwa ini memperkuat perlunya memiliki sistem yang lancar untuk menghadapi kemungkinan-kemungkinan di masa depan, baik untuk mengerahkan bantuan kepada para karyawan kami maupun untuk meminimalkan dampak negatif terhadap pemberian layanan kami kepada para klien.
Understanding the climate-related risks to our people and business, and ensuring we have the proper governance channels and tactical systems in place, are integral to our climate-change strategy. We are currently finalizing our first climate risk assessment, working with an independent provider to evaluate what the physical and transition risks related to climate change mean for our unique business and global footprint. By better understanding and quantifying our susceptibility to the effects of climate change, we seek to prioritize our risk management activities, inform our evolving climate-change strategy, and share more information with our stakeholders about potential climate risks related to our business.
By being prepared to respond to, mitigate, or even prevent a business risk from climate change, we look to address the vulnerability that bridges the gap between present realities and future success in an increasingly resource-constrained world. We plan to share the results of this assessment in our second Nielsen Global Responsibility Report, publishing in June.
We’re committed to continuing our global sustainability efforts in the work we do every day. Our Technology/Operations Sustainability Council already guides our environmental sustainability work, particularly when it comes to identifying and creating new operational efficiencies. We also acknowledge the power of grassroots efforts and the role each one of our associates has to play in this. Our volunteer Nielsen Green leaders work with teams across real estate, facilities, and operations in their offices and communities to continuously identify and advocate for more sustainable ways of interacting with our natural environment.
Dengan Pekan Bumi yang akan segera tiba, kami sangat bersemangat untuk memobilisasi dan mendukung para rekanan kami di seluruh dunia untuk mengurangi dampak negatif terhadap lingkungan yang kami kontribusikan.
Nielsen sedang dalam perjalanan. Kami menyadari tanggung jawab kami untuk tetap berada di jalur yang benar, mempercepat perubahan positif, dan terus menciptakan efisiensi lingkungan baru yang akan mengurangi jejak kami dan memitigasi risiko di mana pun dan bagaimanapun caranya.
Crystal Barnes is SVP, Global Responsibility & Sustainability, Nielsen, and Executive Director, Nielsen Foundation.
