To investigate the “carbon Footprint” of Intercontinental Hotel Group

by

Carbon Footprint - Intercontinental Hotel Group

Introduction

Attention of the whole world was concentrated on Copenhagen in December 2009 where world managers and policy manufacturers contacted under the auspices of the joined Nations to evolve principles to constrain international warming. After a lot of discussions and deliberations an agreement was reached that recognized the need to limit global temperatures rising no more than 2°C (3.6°F) by 2020. The accord, reached between the USA, China, India, Brazil and South Africa, contains no reference to a legally binding agreement (BBC News, 2009, 26).

Discussion and Analysis

Researchers have identified a number of sectors - the power sector being the most prominent one - as the major contributors to the emission of greenhouse gases. Pundits - academics, researchers and decision makers - from around the globe are working hard to generate facts and figures relating to the carbon footprint of different industries. In today's information society and information economy, we count on access to, and use of, information for every undertaking and conclusion making. But do we have a data set showing the carbon footprint of the knowledge sector - the knowledge production and distribution system; and do we have any alternative?

A detailed search on several databases - Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA), ISI Web of Knowledge and many online journal databases - did not reveal any systematic study or research that can provide detailed figures of carbon footprint of the knowledge sector. In other phrases, finding hard facts and figures on the carbon footprint of the information commerce that can be used to conduct a methodical study to find ways and means for reducing the carbon footprint of the knowledge part is rather difficult. This paper aspires to provide some figures relating to the carbon footprint of the commerce and activities that are related to information creation, distribution and access.

It examines at the carbon footprint of the customary knowledge creation and circulation form, i.e. the carbon footprint of the published book and periodical industry, and furthermore the carbon footprint of some undertakings aide with the customary knowledge get access to and distribution scheme such as the photocopying activities undertaken inside the provision of statutory permits issues by national authorising bureaus like Copyright bureau restricted, Australia (CLA), Copyright Agency restricted, UK (CAL), etc. Carbon footprint and ecological influence associated to the creation distribution of digital content are furthermore discussed.

The knowledge industry

Although it is not emphasised and utilised in major public considerations, the size of the information part and its impact on the finances is rather significant. The following numbers provide a glimpse of the dimensions of the market:

In 2007 the worth of the international publication market was approximated to be US$127.5 billion which is approximated to rise to US$160.7 billion in 2012 (up 26 per cent from 2007); and in 2008, the US book publishers' net revenues come to US$40.32 billion (Healey, 2009, 34)

In the UK the publishing industry, which is the second largest in Europe, has a ...