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Christiana Figueres, chief of the United Nation's climate change convention, on Monday issued a plea to businesses to support the work of negotiating a global climate change agreement.

BP chief executive Bob Dudley this week called on governments to adopt carbon pricing mechanisms to address climate change.

L'Oreal's chief sustainability officer, Alexandra Palt, reveals how the global beauty brand is upending corporate norms to drive change across all levels of the business.

The Environmental Protection Agency's final Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, which will curb nitrous oxide emissions from power plants in 22 states, debuted this week. Acting EPA air chief Janet McCabe said the "common-sense actions" will benefit millions of people.

We may suspect that low-flow toilets and showerheads and thermostats that let the room get a little chilly or stuffy while you're gone are really just ways to reduce the hotel's utility bills.We may believe it's always and forever about the bottom line. Snyder's title is vice president of corporate responsibility at IHG, whose hotel brands include Holiday Inn, InterContinental, Hotel Indigo, Kimpton and more. His unofficial title is chief sustainability officer for the company. Whatever title he may go by, he is committed to being green, noting that saving money and saving the environment do not have to be mutually exclusive.

Some of the world's biggest companies are seeing waste reduction and energy efficiency as opportunities to help the bottom line. Wal-Mart is changing its sell-by labeling to reduce food waste, while IKEA is running furniture-recycling and clean-energy initiatives to reduce its costs. "We've taken power from a cost to profit center," says IKEA Chief Sustainability Officer Steve Howard.

HP has committed to powering its global operations with 100 percent renewable energy - and says it plans to reach the 40 percent renewable electricity mark by 2020 - because, as Nate Hurst, HP's chief sustainability and social impact officer says, "both cost-effective and low carbon sources of energy are essential to the future and the growth of HP's business."

"Conscious brands" that are aware of their societal and environmental impact will move into the mainstream in 2014, predicts FutureBrand strategy chief Tom Adams. "No more hair shirts or specialist brands, just products and services across categories that work with the grain of human nature, take sustainability for granted and position themselves around it," he writes

Kellogg has promised to buy palm oil that has been verified for environmental quality starting in 2016. Suppliers will need to ensure independent verification of palm oil they source, said Diane Holdorf, chief sustainability officer at Kellogg.

Worldwide levels of carbon dioxide - the gas scientists say is most responsible for global warming - reached a significant milestone for the month of March, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday. The global monthly average for carbon dioxide hit 400.83 parts per million in March, the first time the average surpassed 400 ppm for an entire month since such measurements began in the late 1950s, NOAA said.

Global carbon dioxide levels averaged 400.83 parts per million in March, marking the first time that atmospheric carbon has remained above the 400 ppm threshold for an entire month, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "It's both disturbing and daunting," said NOAA chief greenhouse gas scientist Pieter Tans. 

Airplane engine-maker Pratt & Whitney is going green to attract and keep the best workers, says environmental chief Mary Anne Cannon. The company is aiming for 100% recycling of manufacturing waste, is holding its supply chain accountable for its actions and has curbed factory emissions by 28% since 2000. The company performs life-cycle assessments to measure the effects of its products, Cannon says

The key global goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius is already beyond reach as negotiators begin planning a 2015 climate treaty, experts say. "There is nothing that can be agreed in 2015 that would be consistent with the 2 degrees," said former United Nations climate chief Yvo de Boer. "The only way that a 2015 agreement can achieve a 2-degree goal is to shut down the whole global economy

Starwood Hotels & Resorts plans to save more than $1 billion over the next 10 years through energy-efficiency initiatives and other environmental programs. The effort will include employees at all levels of the company, says sustainability chief Andrea Pinabell. "Small actions taken by our more than 180,000 associates worldwide have the ability to make a profound impact on our hotels, communities and business," she said. 

MGM Resorts has saved 2 billion gallons of water since embarking on current conservation efforts in 2008, sustainability chief Chris Brophy told the Nevada Drought Forum last week. Among the company's projects: water recycling technology to reduce waste at the Bellagio fountain show and at Cirque du Soleil's indoor water show. 

Levi's is offering customers a 20% discount if they bring their old duds to the denim brand's retail locations for recycling -- even if the old clothes aren't Levi's brand. The take-back program is an attempt to further the company's "vision of a more circular economy or closed-loop system for our products," said sustainability chief Michael Kobori. 

Pope Francis will release a major encyclical this week calling for the world's Catholics to take a stand against climate change and environmental degradation. The letter, the first such statement by a pope, will frame environmental activism as a social justice issue. "Pope Francis is personally committed to this issue like no other pope before him. The encyclical will have a major impact," U.N. climate chief Christiana Figueres said. 

Carnival UK says tighter sulfur emissions rules for ships may mean fewer cruises in northern Europe. The cruise company's CEO David Dingle told Travel Weekly that Carnival brands P&O Cruises and Cunard Line have already planned a 28 percent cut in Baltic and Norway cruises between 2013 and 2015.

Natural capital valuation offers water companies a powerful tool to identify sustainability challenges, engage stakeholders such as the chief financial officer and drive innovation in low-carbon technologies, a recent meeting of water industry executives concluded.

Procter & Gamble plans to begin blending cellulosic ethanol produced by DuPont into Tide Coldwater detergent. "We believe that actions speak louder than words in the area of sustainability, and this partnership with DuPont demonstrates we are doing just that," says Gianni Ciserani, P&G's global fabric and home care chief.

Procter & Gamble has set a goal of obtaining 30% of its global electricity from renewable sources by 2020. One way the company will do that is by acquiring output from a wind farm to be built in Cooke County, Texas, in partnership with EDF Renewable Energy. "Wind not only emits zero greenhouse gas emissions, but also delivers long-term energy price stability," said EDF chief executive Tristan Grimbert.