Every climate conference delivers a mixed bag of outcomes, and COP27 was no different.
Despite the long-awaited creation of a loss and damage fund, delegates remained displeased by a shortfall of capital from developed nations, lack of specific implementation plans, and seeming attempts to claw back commitments made at Glasgow last year.
The most alarming statistic for me came out on Decarbonisation Day when it was revealed just how slowly we are moving to reduce emissions: the world is headed for 1.7 degrees of warming if all the policy changes promised at COP26 are implemented, 2.4-2.7 degrees if today’s policies are executed to plan, and a catastrophic 3.5 degrees if the current rates of implementation and execution stay where they are today.
TL;DR: We need to do much more, much faster, if we want a liveable planet.
So what now?
We need more boots in the fight. At my Echelon climate panel in October, a founder in the audience asked: “What if our businesses have nothing to do with sustainability? What could I start doing tomorrow that would help make a difference?”
It reminded me that while the startup ecosystem generally understands why we should take climate action, the how is still unclear for many companies.
Also Read: Beyond buzzwords: How climate tech startups can create an impact in green recovery
In this three-part series, I explore how any business (not just “climate” businesses) can reduce emissions while accelerating the transitions of companies around them.
What can my company do right away that would make a difference?
Greening the world’s materials and economic systems on a planetary scale is a tall order. Still, the primary task for each individual and organisation is simple: understand and reduce your environmental footprint (emissions or negative impact on the planet), and find ways to increase your handprint (positive impact on the earth).
Luckily, so many solutions already exist that we need to start doing or help others do more/better/faster.
The common culprits – key emissions drivers – are well known, and the Pareto principle tends to ring true: most of your emissions will come from very few segments of your business. Focus your actions there to start with.
For most sectors, the big three will be energy, transportation, and materials (not just the waste from what you use but also the water, energy, and fuel consumed throughout the lifecycle of all the “stuff” and processes in your value chain).
You can get more granular breakdowns through carbon accounting and management tools, but there are also well-known ways to immediately use less of all three (saving both money and emissions).
It can be more complex to find greener versions of the big three (especially if these are more expensive or don’t fit neatly into current operations). However, solutions that are better for the planet while still being great for business bottom lines (i.e. “no sacrifice models”) are increasingly available – check out these guides for green energy options and alternative packaging, and this repository of 1000+ clean growth solutions vetted by technical and business experts at the Solar Impulse Foundation.
Don’t stop at the “sustainability team”
Beyond the big three, there are unexpected ways to decarbonise nearly everything about your business – and in so doing, also engage more of your employees or peers in the process.
For example, Information and Communications Technologies account for more than two per cent of global carbon emissions – about the same as the aviation industry – so have you considered making your website code environmentally friendly or using climate-neutral data centres?
Also Read: Can Bitcoin help us in the fight against climate change?
Is your facilities management team only tracked on keeping to their budget, or could they also be measured on choosing cleaner heating and cooling? Do you incentivise employees to adopt more climate-friendly behaviours or reward those who do?
“Every job is a climate job,” as more and more folks in my network are saying. Project Drawdown even created these job function action guides that identify climate actions every department can take. So there’s no reason to put the full burden of greening your business on the CEO, CFO, or Chief Sustainability Officer’s team alone.
There are no silver bullet solutions when we need to transition everything, so it can feel like too big a burden to carry, too long a list to get through. The important thing is to start. Please focus on the few things that matter most, so it’s significant yet manageable while sharing your progress and choices with others.
Even if yours is one business out of millions, finding viable paths forward and helping more companies see or take these paths too absolutely does make a difference; do not underestimate the ripple effect.
That said, what if no solutions feel right for your business?
In the next part of this series, I’ll share how your company can engage with and improve the options around them – instead of waiting for the perfect fit to come around.
–
Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic.
Join our e27 Telegram group, and FB community, or like the e27 Facebook page
Image credit: Canva Pro
The article was first published on December 14, 2022
The post Climate conferences won’t save us: How to start taking action all year round (Part 1) appeared first on e27.