The popular image of environmental activism is not a nice one. The popular image of radical-environmental activists who are “fighting climate change” is one of “corporate greed” and “pests” humans. If 100,000 people lose their jobs and economies are thrown into chaos just are to stop the export of coal, well so be it! It’s the Planet versus the humans pests and their “corporate greed,” and this is how the Planet wins! The hard, cold divisiveness of radical environmental activism is also the unfortunate image of what people think is mainstream environmentalism and views on climate change.
What we need are positive oriented goals and a change of our culture toward addressing climate change. We don’t have to wreck economies, starve “pest” human beings, and make ourselves and hope of real environmental advocacy quite unpopular. We who want a positive and productive environmental advocacy have something to point toward in the corporate world and among publications, like Forbes and Newsweek, that reward company policies for environmental stewardship and carbon reduction. What is nice is that CSX has won a number of these awards and is recognized as a leader in environmental stewardship.
CSX’s Environmental Stewardship Awards
USA Today’s 2024 Climate Leaders. There were several criteria to make USA Today’s Climate Leaders’ list. A company earning over $50 million in revenue had to reduce its carbon intensity (revenue divided by carbon emissions) by 3% each year. CSX reduced its emissions -5.30% this year and -13.40% from year to year.
2024 Forbes Net Zero Leaders list. To win a spot on Forbes, a company had to demonstrate its commitment to slowing global warming by eliminating or compensating for the pollution they or their suppliers, customers, and vendors produce. Companies are assessed Sustainalytics and Morningstar, “which consider a wide range of company initiatives and overall progress. Those include companies’ management structure regarding risk assessment, governance, strategy and metrics, as well as investments in capital projects that advance sustainability goals” (Forbes, March 20, 2024).
2024 Leader in Sustainable Practices by Inbound Logistics. CSX won this accolade because of its investment in its first hydrogen locomotive. The locomotive was converted away from diesel using a kit obtained from Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC). Inbound Logistics also points out CSX’s notable achievement of being the “first railroad in North America to have an emissions intensity goal consistent with reductions required to keep warming to below 2 degrees C. This goal is approved by the Science Based Target Initiative.”
Late in 2023, CSX was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index marking the 13th year of appearing on the Index. Participating companies are put through a rigorous evaluation of public and non-public data submitted by participating companies. Of the thousands of companies that participate in the list, only about 3500 are actually eligible to make the Index. Appearing on the Index is a badge of honor that validates CSX’s commitment to be a “sustainability railroad.”
“Rail and rail-based transportation solutions have inherent environmental advantages over trucking that help our customers reach their carbon reduction goals, yet CSX continues to pursue alternative fuel and fuel-efficiency technologies that further improve our environmental performance (Joe Hinrichs, December 12, 2023).
Newsweek’s America’s Most Responsible Companies 2023. Nancy Cooper, Newsweek Editor, writes that responsible companies that make the cut are those who are actually the good guys who treat their customers, employees, and the planet decently. Responsible companies are engaging in more than just public relations blather. Responsible companies “walk the walk,” and not just blab about it. Newsweek has CSX ranked Number 1 in the transportation and logistics industry with an environmental score of 84.64.
2024 CSX Customer Environmental Excellence Award. CSX also gives out awards to its customers who convert a portion of their freight from truck to rail. The award winners have achieved carbon emissions savings by embracing the environmentally friendlier highway-to-rail conversion. Here are the winners of the 2024 CSX Customer Environmental Excellence Award: General Motors, Heidelberg Materials North America, Nissan North America, Tropicana, and WestRock.
Positive work to curb climate change and love our Planet Earth! We have a bit of an issue with a popular image of environmental activism as in your face, militant and adversarial. The notion is that of polluting humans versus the victim Planet Earth. We need to consider other, more productive images, like working together and not defining anyone as “enemy” to Planet Earth. Corporations, especially in the transportation industry, are often presented as polluters and adversaries to the environment. The fact that CSX has been so recognized as an environmental leader in the transportation industry by “capitalist” publications and organizations should lead us to see that businesses and the engines of the American economy have a heart for the environment and for our Planet Earth.
For those of us who are concerned with climate change and what it’s doing to our Planet Earth, we can have a positive change with action that does more to build and save than damage and destroy.
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