Entergy 2010 Annual Report Download - page 27

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ENTERGY CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 2010
Advocating for Environmental Risk Management
OUR POINT OF VIEW ON CLIMATE CHANGE
ong-term changes to the climate pose a clear risk to the earth’s long-term
viability. The effects are already having an impact on certain plant and animal
species, and the impacts will dramatically increase without global action to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Waiting until danger is at hand will not only cost money
and property, it could cost lives. Regardless of climate change, we in the U.S. Gulf Coast
region face increased risks from natural hazards now. It’s time to begin adapting.
For more than 10 years, Entergy has taken proactive steps to conserve environmental
resources and stabilize our greenhouse gas emissions. In 2010, we completed our second
voluntary commitment to stabilize CO
2
emissions from 2006 to 2010 at 20 percent below
2000 levels. Emissions for 2006 to 2010 were more than 3
percent below our cumulative
goal for the fi ve-year period. The utility operating companies also offer a variety of energy
effi ciency programs in an effort to reduce peak demand growth and help customers better
manage their energy use and reduce their greenhouse gas footprint. Program offerings
include education materials, weatherization kits, smart meters and a variety of other
effi ciency mechanisms.
In addition to taking action to minimize the impact of our operations on the environment,
Entergy is a long-time active advocate for policy action to address climate change. We
continue to fund studies on climate change and adaptation to identify the most effective
solutions that policymakers can undertake now. We have spent countless hours meeting
with local, state and national leaders, working with nongovernmental organizations and
participating in conferences.
Presented below are the risks facing the Gulf Coast today and our point of view on climate
change along with guiding principles for effective policymaking and thoughts on daily
choices that individuals and businesses can make to address this critical issue. We continue
to believe climate change represents the defi ning issue for our generation, one that has
dramatic implications for our children.
Accepting Scientifi c Evidence
Along with the majority of scientifi c experts, we believe the evidence of human-induced
climate change is unequivocal as detailed by multiple studies.
The U.S. Global Change Research Program, published in 2009, stated that climate changes
are under way in the United States and are projected to grow. Widespread impacts are
occurring now. For example, coastal areas are at increasing risk from sea-level rise and
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