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HP Eco Solutions Program – HP’s Climate Strategy
originally published June 2008
Introduction
Climate change has emerged as one of the most serious problems facing global society today. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the current warming of the climate system is “unequivocal”—eleven of the last twelve years rank among the warmest twelve years in the record of global surface temperature and it is “likely” that average Northern Hemisphere temperatures during the second half of the 20th century were the highest in at least the past 1,300 years. This warming is “very likely” due to human-caused greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions according to the IPCC, which recommends reducing global GHG emissions by between 50 and 85 percent by 2050 from 2000 levels in order to limit global temperature rise to 2.0-2.4°C by the end of the 21st century.
The implications of climate change are vast and both societal and economic in nature. Extreme weather events, rising sea levels, water scarcity, crop yield reduction, and species extinction are already occurring.
Climate change is playing an increasing role in the worldwide business community as well. Global efforts to meet the IPCC’s recommended reductions will create opportunities for individual companies as well as entire industries that lead the shift to a low-carbon economy. Climate touches on the whole range of business drivers, from risk-heavy drivers— like increased requirements for the public sector and increased regulatory pressure on businesses—to competitive opportunities—like customers wanting to reduce their own footprint and therefore demanding low-carbon solutions.
In the Information Technology (IT) industry, we understand our role as leaders in the fight against climate change. While we are responsible for only two percent of the world economy’s global GHG emissions, we believe we also have an important role to play in helping to reduce the other 98 percent of global GHG emissions. At HP, we accept our leadership role and have partnered with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to establish projects aimed at addressing the causes and consequences of climate change on a global basis.
As we further understand what has and is happening with regard to climate change, it is becoming increasingly clear that we must also focus on the future. At HP, we are exploring future scenarios for climate change to properly prepare our business, customers and consumers of what is to come.
