National Geographic Partners With WWF To Reduce Emissions

Pledges Further Emission Cuts From Operations and Supply Chain

WASHINGTON - National Geographic, through a partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF), announced today it will cut its emissions of greenhouse gases by 80 percent by the end of 2010. The Geographic’s commitment comes on the heels of the United Nations Summit on Climate Change in New York and at the start of the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh.

“National Geographic’s commitment to further reduce emissions could not be more timely or relevant,” said Keya Chatterjee, acting director of WWF’s climate program. “More than 100 world leaders gathered at the UN summit this week to show they are committed to building a strong climate agreement. Leaders representing 85 percent of the world’s economy will meet at tomorrow’s G-20 summit to foster a global economic recovery. National Geographic understands that emissions reductions and strong economic performance go hand in hand.”

National Geographic is one of 22 participants, including HP, Nike, The Coca-Cola Company, IBM, and Johnson & Johnson, in WWF’s Climate Savers program. Collectively, WWF’s Climate Savers partners will reduce emissions by an estimated 50 million tons by 2010, an amount equivalent to the annual emissions of Switzerland. Overall, the partners say these efforts are resulting in greater operational efficiency and significant cost reductions.

“Conservation has been at the core of National Geographic throughout our 121-year-history. We’re delighted to be joining other like-minded organizations with strong climate action plans,” said Ted Prince, National Geographic’s executive vice president of Global Media. “Investing in energy efficiency and clean energy technology is a highly effective way to grow our business while protecting the planet from catastrophic climate change.”

National Geographic will work with WWF to reduce its CO2 emissions from operations by 80 percent by 2010 and reduce CO2 emissions from its magazine paper and printing materials supply chain by 10 percent by 2015. The emissions reductions are based on a 2005 baseline.

National Geographic is the first media organization to join WWF’s Climate Savers program. As such, it will help communicate the message of WWF’s “Let the Clean Economy Begin” campaign. The campaign calls on world leaders to find a solution to climate change. It also demonstrates, using results from WWF’s partners, that it is possible to grow a business while reducing its CO2 emissions.

Note to editors:
The Climate Savers program is a collaboration between some of the world’s foremost corporations and WWF to show leadership in reducing emissions and heading off catastrophic climate change. By participating in Climate Savers, companies work with WWF to develop a climate action plan that includes absolute emission reductions and steps to meet their goals. Independent technical experts monitor and verify compliance.

ABOUT WORLD WILDLIFE FUND
WWF is the world’s leading conservation organization, working in 100 countries for nearly half a century. With the support of almost 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment and combat climate change. Visit www.worldwildlife.org to learn more.

ABOUT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888 to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge, the Society works to inspire people to care about the planet. The Society was recognized for its commitment to energy conservation by the National Energy Resources Organization Energy Efficiency Award in 2002 and received the EPA Green Power Leadership Award in 2006. National Geographic’s Washington, D.C. headquarters was the first office building in the country to be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council LEED for Existing Building Program. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.