Environmental management is no longer something for scientists, environmentalists and politicians to debate, rather it is a theory that must be put into practice as a result of boardroom initiatives across the land. Until the latter third of the 20th century these kinds of environmental issues had been largely ignored in real terms by commerce and industry, even though it was clear that there were potentially serious repercussions down the road.

As we look back to the start of the industrial age and assess how we have developed as a society since then, we can certainly point to some amazing developments and technological strides forward, in what is a relatively short space of time. Since we learned that we could use the fossil fuels readily found around us as a means of generating power, which in itself leads to so many other applications, we have not looked back. However, it is true to say that we are now in a position to realize what this heady growth has meant to us in terms of potentially catastrophic climate change caused by our actions.

It is commonplace in the global market to witness companies trading commodities. In an attempt to tackle the cost of reducing greenhouse gas emissions as part of a wider goal of addressing adverse climate change, governments are soon to implement international emissions trading, which will operate in a similar way.

Several countries are now working on the development of an ultra efficient electricity delivery network, which allows electricity to be delivered between supplier and consumer through the use of smart grid architecture. Such a network will help to promote energy independence and will go a long way in the battle against global warming.