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Document Cited in Related
Vincent
AuthorCook, G.A.
PositionLetters - Letter to the editor

It's disappointing to see that CIMA has thrown its hat into the ring with the Carbon Trust--a sponsored organisation set up to pave the way for increased costs for businesses and consumers alike--to publish yet another weak article on "climate change".

The feature ("Hearts and minds", December/January 2008/09) starts from the premise that the debate on climate change is a settled subject--which it certainly isn't--and uses the now established method of linking climate change to topics that have existed for many years.

The business community as a whole (not only the specialist sectors quoted in the article) has been trying to cut waste ever since my early days as a cost accountant. The real issue is that all waste and high costs (especially energy) should be reduced. So why play the green card to cloud a common-sense, albeit difficult, issue?

CIMA should be encouraging more free thinking on this topic. How about the following?

* Explain the real impact and cost of implementing the climate-change bill in the UK against competitors that do not have the same level of legal commitment. What are alternatives for businesses?

* Produce a critique of the cap-and-trade system and highlight the real political and financial winners and losers in the arrangement.

* Investigate why the Stern report, which has been ridiculed by everyone other than parties with vested interests, uses a low discount rate on such a large issue when basic discounted cash flow would have demanded a much higher level.

G A Cook FCMA

FM replies:

Although the finer details are still being debated, most scientists now agree that the climate is changing. The issue is...

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