Businesses Ramp Up Climate Commitments
By Maria Elena Sandalli
From December 9th to 13th, I attended the 25th Conference of the Parties in Madrid, Spain. This was an outstanding opportunity to see how the international community is tackling the “defining challenge of our era” more than one decade after former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon used these words to define climate change.
Group picture with some Week 2 delegates – girl power!
Hearing from ministers, politicians and officials of international organizations enabled me to feel the pulse of the climate debate and to see the level of commitment displayed in this important setting. Given my area of interest, I gravitated toward events with business representatives on corporate environmental sustainability. It was encouraging to see the growing scale of corporate climate action, as businesses realize their critical role in delivering the Paris goals and driving technological innovation, as well as the profitability of ‘going green’.
The role of companies in addressing the climate emergency came up on several occasions.
On Tuesday morning, Tufts delegates attended the “Unite Behind The Science” event during which Greta Thunberg and Luisa Neubauer urged the international community to listen to scientists and experts, some of which were on the panel beside the two young activists. Science-based targets have formed the basis of the “Business Ambition for 1.5°C - Our Only Future” campaign, which garnered new signatories at the COP25. As part of this initiative, 177 companies have agreed to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
In a later event titled “Accelerating corporate climate action: the role of policy”, speakers discussed some efforts to incorporate sustainable practices within companies’ business models. One panelist from the World Benchmarking Alliance pointed out that automakers should be doing more for the environment, despite promising trends in electric vehicle production. A representative from the National Business Initiative – a coalition of South African and multinational companies working toward sustainable growth – emphasized some of the difficulties for South African companies to innovate within a highly-regulated policy environment and poverty-ridden economy. Finally, the IKEA Group spokesperson ended the debate on a hopeful note, as the Swedish retailer aims to employ an all-electric delivery fleet by 2025.
On Wednesday, an event organized by Bocconi University served as an occasion to present “Brands4 Sustainability”, an initiative that aims to bring together companies aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Mario Cerutti, Chief Sustainability Officer at Lavazza – the Italian coffee manufacturer – stressed that climate change poses a huge risk for businesses, as it reduces productivity all over the world. Cerutti showcased some of Lavazza’s recent achievements in the realm of corporate responsibility: it is committed to producing 100% zero-deforestation coffee and has partnered with the Ecuadorean government to strengthen the domestic supply chain, optimize the pre- and post-harvest phases, and increase the income of local families deriving from the sale of coffee.
Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice President of the European Commission, presents the European Green Deal at the EU Pavilion’s “High Level Event on Long Term Strategy”
However, the event that most resonated with me was held on Friday at the Nordic Pavilion and was titled “It’s a Flying Shame - Nordic efforts towards Sustainable Aviation”. The event explored the theme of Flygskam (or “flight shame” in Swedish), a concept that originated as a means to encourage people to stop taking flights to lower carbon emissions, and is now sweeping across Europe. Two researchers laid out their interviews with people who have given up flying, and their reasoning behind this ‘radical’ choice. As a person who has grown up taking multiple planes for family reasons, and loves traveling to this day, I found myself doing some serious soul-searching as a result of this presentation. I was fascinated to learn that Nordic countries are at the forefront of sustainable aviation. Norway requires all planes taking off from its airports to have a mandatory component of non-fossil jet fuel. And Heart Aerospace – a Swedish startup – is to launch its first all-electric, short-haul aircraft by 2025. Both are remarkable examples of how governments and companies are finally moving in the right direction.
All in all, although political negotiations ended poorly and the conference labeled a fiasco, the business sector took the COP25 as an opportunity to ramp up its ambition and demonstrate its intention to follow through on targets. I left Madrid having learnt one lesson: the onus is on businesses and corporations as much as it is on governments. It really is #TimeForAction on all fronts.
Maria Elena Sandalli was a Tufts delegate to COP25 made possible by the Tufts Institute of the Environment (TIE) and financially supported by the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy (CIERP). Should you be affiliated with Tufts University and interested in being a Tufts delegate to COP in future years, please visit: https://environment.tufts.edu/initiatives/events/unfccc-cop/. For more information on CIERP, please visit https://sites.tufts.edu/cierp/.