Climate Action - Assisting business towards carbon neutrality

The CN Net is a tool for outreach, communication, networking, and awareness-raising on climate change around the globe. The network was launched at UNEP’s Governing Council on 21 February 2008. This initiative, delivered online, encourages widespread and national, regional and global ‘buy in’ to climate neutrality at various levels of society.

The CN Net is a platform for registering and showcasing pledges from around the world. It provides participants, including nations, regions, cities, local municipalities, and companies, with a platform to present their climate neutral strategies to the world. It also functions as a network for information exchange and sharing of practical experiences.
 
Objectives

• To deliver a highly interactive Internet-based virtual cyber-site where countries, cities, businesses, companies, governmental and non governmental organisations, and others can pledge climate neutrality and exchange information on how best this can be achieved;
• To offer a “port of first call” for any entity or individual interested in becoming climate-friendly;
• To provide easily searchable information on climate neutrality;
• To assist in achieving the up to 80% emission reductions scientists say are needed during the 21st century;
• To promote increased energy efficiency, reduced emissions, use of clean and renewable energy, and climate friendly lifestyles.

Joining the CN Net

Potential CN Net participants should refer to the Guidelines for joining the network

The minimum requirements for joining the CN Net are:

• Designate a focal point;
• Formulate a target, develop action plan for emissions reduction and offsetting with measurable milestones for monitoring goal achievement;
• Set target dates for the implementation of stages and completion of the action plan.

Participants will be expected to demonstrate their progress on the CN Net website by:

• Undertaking a greenhouse gas inventory and reporting it on the network;
• Establishing a climate neutral strategy identifying short, medium and / or long term goals for emissions reduction and offsetting, and reporting it on the website;
• Sharing lessons learned, innovative ideas, and success stories on the network.

Communication

UNEP offers an interactive and searchable website that provides information by key elements such as participants, topics, strategies, and multimedia files. UNEP will use key dates in the 2008 calendar to announce new participants and encourage others to join.

• World Environement Day, 5 June, Wellington, New Zealand
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 1 – 4 September, Geneva, Switzerland
• IUCN, 5 – 14 October, Barcelona, Spain
• World Urban Forum, 3 – 7 November, Nanjing, China
• Meeting of Parties - MOP 20, 17 – 21 November, Doha, Qatar
• Uited Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 1 – 12 December, Poznan, Poland

For more infomration see http://www.unep.org/climateneutral