In your view, what are the big issues to watch out for in 2013? I think that climate change is going to be a big issue. That’s partly for the same reasons. There’s also a growing recognition of the effects that a change in climate is going to have on business.

President Obama’s selection of Gina McCarthy to become the next EPA Administrator is being hailed as a positive move by both environmentalists and some in the business community, who say McCarthy is adept at holding dialogues with competing interests.

Climate change could have a significant impact on worker productivity – particularly in certain parts of the word, according to a study published in the March issue of the journal, Nature Climate Change.

A proposed “carbon tax” would have a “devastating” impact on manufacturing and jobs, according to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), responding to climate-change legislation introduced recently in the Senate.

Senators Barbara Boxer (D-California) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) have introduced in the Senate comprehensive climate change-related legislation that includes two measures: a Climate Protection Act which would impose fees on major greenhouse gas emitters and a Sustainable Energy Act that would end subsidies to fossil fuel companies.

President Obama’s rumored pick for Secretary Energy is drawing loud “boos” from a coalition of anti-fracking groups, who say the appointment of Dr. Ernest Moniz would be “a major step backwards” in addressing the problems caused by climate change.

From the safety culture in Texas to salary comparisons of safety professionals to OSHA’s VPP program and the importance of maintenance when it comes to SCBAs, here are the top OEHS-related stories of the week as featured on ISHN.com:

SocialFunds.com reports that sustainable investors, more than most of the major stakeholders in what it calls the “rapidly unfolding climate change crisis,” want corporations to account for unsustainable business practices and advocate effective legislative and regulatory measures.
 

What a rollercoaster ride! It has been five years since I moved to New York to open our US office. My arrival here coincided with the worst financial crash since the Depression, a time when you were unsure whether there would be any cash in the ATM, let alone a market for sustainability advice.

Direct excerpts from President Obama’s State of the Union speech given Tuesday evening before Congress: “...over the last four years, our emissions of the dangerous carbon pollution that threatens our planet have actually fallen. “But for the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to combat climate change. "