Bath Consultancy Group has researched organisational responses to accelerating climate change.

• Will short-term economic pressures stop organisations addressing climate change?
• How can resources be focussed to support key areas?
• How can HR play a stronger role?

In recent months we've conducted primary research and hosted a webinar "Will business pressures torpedo a low carbon strategy?" discussing these points. With Alexander Ballard we are providing a framework to rapidly change organisations' response to climate change. Fiona Ellis and Danny Chesterman report...

The most comprehensive modelling yet carried out on the likelihood of how much hotter the Earth's climate will get in this century shows that without rapid and massive action, the problem will be about twice as severe as previously estimated six years ago - and could be even worse than that.

Business has a significant role to play in reducing carbon reductions before 2015 or face the consequences of runaway climate change within 50 years that is irrevocable and destroys businesses through social collapse, resource shortages and climate impacts like flooding most major cities.

The new projections, published this month in the American Meteorological Society's Journal of Climate, indicate a median probability of surface warming of 5.2 degrees Celsius by 2100, with a 90% probability range of 3.5 to 7.4 degrees. This can be compared to a median projected increase in the 2003 study of just 2.4 degrees. Mark Lynas (researcher and author of Six Degrees) recognises that even "four degrees [of warming] would be a catastrophe that many of us, or our children, would not survive."

A survey conducted by Bath Consultancy Group and Alexander Ballard (ABL) on how organisations are implementing their low carbon strategies has revealed that low carbon strategies need to be overhauled if organisations are going to respond quickly enough to the new level of threat posed by global warming.

The current economic crisis has focused attention on cost savings and reducing energy use as well as reducing travel and increasing virtual working. However, fewer than half the low carbon strategies from organisations responding to the survey include examining compliance within partners / supply chains; establishing carbon neutrality; carrying out risk analysis of vulnerability to climate change; introducing whole life cycle accounting including disposal. Only a minority are re-thinking their product portfolio as short-term business pressures bite.

In terms of implementation, only 28% agree that most middle managers are well integrated across the organisation and less than 50% of middle managers are seen as well connected in support of the carbon strategy. There is also a sharp challenge to those in HR and Finance... the survey suggests that those functions are where commitment is least strong.

View our webinar

The findings, gathered from 40 organisations across three sectors, were discussed at a lively webinar hosted through the 2degrees network employee engagement network (http://www.2degreesnetwork.com/.) on 7^th May. Fiona Ellis, who leads Bath Consultancy Group's work in this field, says, "Managers are saying they need support in bringing about change such as networks of change champions, tool kits and case studies. Champions also need support from top leadership."

http://www.2degreesnetwork.com/networks/360o-employee-engagement/forum/428/?page=1#forum_post_1115 

Assessment to results

The ABL / Bath Consultancy Group partnership brings together for clients an ‘assessment to results' service that combines environmental expertise with change capability.

With the Performance Acceleration Climate Tool (PACT) organisations can benchmark how well they are adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change, and where they are vulnerable to short and long term effects of climate change.

In times of economic restraint this gives organisations vital information on where they need to focus their efforts in order to maximise progress. ABL and Bath Consultancy Group bring their experience of strategic change and shifting cultures in organisations across the globe so that those leading the change process can break through the barriers that hold back performance. Depending on the organisation and its needs this can include:

• Working with leadership boards to align strategy with behaviour
• Supporting change champions in the breakthrough projects that bridge one response level to the next
• Enabling middle managers join up through better engagement
• Mobilising influence in the wider networks that affect an organisation's operating context
• Challenging competing stakeholder interests to achieve a coherent mandate and shared vision
• Accelerating individual and organisational learning from experiments and best practice

We are committed to action that produces results. We do that by applying a practical tools and techniques developed from a whole system way of thinking, and applied to real challenges in the moment.  

Local Authority PACT event

As a result of the survey, a meeting is being held of UK local authorities in the South East region that are interested in learning more about the Performance Acceleration Climate Tool. Reading Borough Council will host it on 1 July 2009 (to register your interest, contact This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it ). David Ballard, of ABL, who developed the framework after extensive research and has established a database against which organisations can benchmark their performance, says, "The MIT research makes this work even more urgent. We are delighted to be working with partners Bath Consultancy Group on this. They have a long track record on whole system thinking and strategic change that complements our environmental and change expertise."

If you would like to know more about our work in this area contact Fiona Ellis at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .