In the wake of the financial crisis, the focus on corporate responsibility (CR) is rising, but can the same be said of CR salaries?

In the foreword to the “2010 Corporate Responsibility Salary Survey,” from the consultancy Acona, recruitment firm Acre and newsletter Ethical Performance, Mike Kelly, Chairman of the Corporate Responsibility Group at KPMG Europe LLP, stated: “I think we practitioners really can claim that CR is now a profession, rather than a cottage industry.”

In a worldwide sampling, the median salary fell within a range of $85,000 to $90,000, with approximately 40% of respondents earning more.

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“We do keep the lawn looking impeccable, darling.’

According to the “Spring 2010 Affluent Market Tracking Study,” from the American Affluence Research Center, 56% of affluent consumers in the US believe they are doing their part to help the environment. However, 30% of them feel they should do more.

What are the rich doing to help the environment?

Two-thirds own green products—the most common of which are compact fluorescent light-bulbs (CFLs) and water-saving low-flow toilets or faucets.

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To many environmentalists, fierce opponents of air pollution and GHG buildup, burning coal for energy is tantamount to global suicide. On the other hand, many government and business leaders view the practice as vital to continued economic development.

But no matter which side of the smokestack you stand on, knowing who is burning coal—and how much of it—is a valuable metric.

According to the latest statistics from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), total global coal consumption in 2008 was 7,238 million short tons, up from 6,260 million in 2004.

That represents a 15.6% increase over a five-year period—at a time when governments around the world were instituting measures to reduce carbon emissions.

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NASA Image, Gulf Oil Slick, acquired April 25, 2010.

The recession pummeled the green market. According to “Healthy Products, Healthy Planet” report from Mintel, US green product sales fell in 2009, dropping slightly from $723 billion in 2008 to $722 billion.

But things may be springing back this year.

Recent surveys from Mintel and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) indicate a growing number of consumers are once again willing to pay a premium for green products.

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With the exception of natural crises, such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, the topics of financial collapse, ongoing recession and when world economics will begin recovering have dominated headlines and newscasts for the past several years.

Yet, according to the “Global Pulse Survey,” conducted by HSBC, the number-one concern of 38% of people polled in cities around the globe is climate change and the environment.

The economy ranked second at 35%.

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Despite the recession, despite polls showing fewer of them believe in global warming (see Americans Growing Cold on Global Warming), more Americans say they want to buy “green” this year than last.

A poll of over 1,000 people across the country—covering personal care, food, apparel and electronics products—the “EcoPulse Survey,” conducted by the Shelton Group, found 64% of US consumers are now searching for greener products, up from 60% last year.

But searching and buying are not the same thing.

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Although commercial air traffic has resumed over Europe, in recent days a graphic comparing daily CO2 emissions from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano and European commercial air flights, created by Information Is Beautiful (IIS), was reproduced on scores of sites ranging from Yale’s e360 to Slate.

Based on aggregated data from a number of sources, the chart illustrated that on a normal day the European aviation industry emits 344,109 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, but during the eruption period—with 60% of flights canceled—planes put 206,465 less tonnes of carbon into the air and the volcano spewed 150,000 tonnes. That is a net daily savings of 56,464 tonnes per day.

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Gathering data from nations around the world is not a quick process, and on the global level change comes slowly.

According to figures compiled by Reuters, based on final government reports from the 36 leading industrialized nations submitted to the UN, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions fell to 17.10 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents in 2008—down from 17.48 billion in 2007

That may not look like a big difference, but it is.

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The Boston Consulting Group reports that the “future of the automotive industry” is in the BRIC nations, Brazil, Russia, India and China, which will account for 30% of worldwide auto sales by 2014. China alone will have 15.3 million auto sales that year.

Research from the “China Electric Vehicle Market Report,” featured in Nielsenwire, found that although electric cars are not widely produced in the country, 68% of Chinese consumers are aware of the technology, and—if price were not a consideration—nearly 8 in 10 consumers might buy an electric vehicle (EV) .

Not surprising, consumers interested in purchasing an EV were most influenced by environmental friendliness and the ability to reduce fuel costs.

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