Climate change is barely on the radar of the UK’s largest companies, according to a survey of business leaders by YouGov for professional services firm KPMG, reports the Financial Times.
The survey found that brand awareness, marketing strategies and corporate social responsibility are more urgent issues for business leaders, a mere 14 percent of whom “had a clear strategy for tackling climate change.”
Moreover, a communications consultancy Headland found that fund managers discount climate change issues when making investment decisions, but hey admit it will become a concern.
Instead they regard climate change effects as slow and cumulative and the issue as outside the remit of typical fund managers who “are not looking at 2012, let alone 2050.” Long term for the investment community was about three years, they said.
Additional findings from YouGov:
- One-third of the senior execs said any climate policy undertakings are more about managing reputation than having an actual affect on climate change.
- Only half the top executives said they fully understand climate change implications and business consequences.
- Two-thirds of execs said their company paid due attention the issue.
