The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology has partnered with South Pole Carbon in what may turn out to be the main push to get companies to stop polluting. The idea is to publish the names of publicly listed companies that contribute to the world’s pollution.

The purpose of the publication is to not just reveal the companies that are involved in the highest level of global pollution, but to also encourage them to stop and reverse their practices. The exposure of the pollution hogs may not be effected by general public opinion, but that opinion goes a long way when it comes to the investors. Investment firms take public opinion very seriously, and when the publication causes a dip in the bottom line margins, investors may turn away. As always, it seems that the only way to effect negativities is to effect profit margins.

Sources:
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/24/will-emissions-disclosure-mean-investor-pressure-on-polluters/
http://elibrary.worldbank.org/content/workingpaper/10.1596/1813-9450-2291

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