Namibia’s first carbon and energy management company

NAMIBIA is set to get its first carbon and energy measurement and management organisation, offering a full range of carbon- and energy-related products and services.

International company Global Carbon Exchange (GCX) will open a branch in Windhoek with the co-operation of local green charity GAWAS.The company already has branches in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Sydney, Jakarta, London, the Ukraine and the USA. The company’s goal is to be the preferred and trusted advisor to any Namibian company on carbon and energy management. Said Ed Gluckman, GCX Director of International Operations: ‘Historically, corporate interest in the environment has been met with a lukewarm response. However, with the visibility of climate change and the current financial crisis there is now a significantly different attitude. ‘More and more companies understand the business and environment interdependency and have begun capitalising on the ‘eco-advantage’, the opportunity for growth and profit through a focus on environmental sustainability.’ While Namibia does not yet have any carbon emissions regulations in place and is only 130th on the world list of carbon-emitting countries, the co-operative still sees reduced energy and carbon use as extremely useful for business. For example, it cites the high cost of electricity and Namibia’s reliance on power from South Africa as key factors in getting companies to commit to electricity saving. And it sees the proposed but not yet implemented environmental taxes in this year’s budget as another reason businesses should take note of environmental issues. Among the services being provided by the company are full analysis of a business’s carbon footprint, complete energy use audits, real-time emissions checks and energy reduction proposals.