Economic opportunity through bold climate action
The rapid change required cannot just come from governments passing laws. We all need to take action.”
Jesper Brodin, CEO of Ingka Group (IKEA)
Welcome to the January edition of the We Mean Business coalition newsletter.
This month sees progress towards the zero-carbon transport system of the future – thanks to Ingka Group’s (IKEA) success in electrifying all its deliveries in Shanghai two years ahead of schedule, as part of The Climate Group’s EV100 initiative. Also in the transport space, the newly launched Transforming Urban Mobility project with WBCSD is bringing together different stakeholders to help create cleaner and more sustainable urban mobility.
Early steps have been taken in Germany, towards the zero-carbon power system, as the government welcomed an official proposal to phase out coal-fired power from the country’s energy mix no later than 2035-2038. However, for Germany to harness the full potential of the transition, it needs to step up its ambition and phase out coal-fired power by 2030.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, the push for bold climate solutions was embraced by global leaders and businesses. The forum saw climate change rise to the top of the agenda, and incorporated into all discussions about risk management and opportunity.
And investors welcomed the annual scorecard highlighting which businesses are ‘best in class’ for climate action: CDP’s A List. Apple, Mitsubishi Electric and Unilever are among the 126 companies that are demonstrating the best and most ambitious practices, as they tackle climate change and benefit from the transition to a zero-carbon economy.
Plus, 10 years since the UK’s Climate Change Act, the Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group considers what progress has been made.
NEWS & BLOGS
From the We Mean Business blog
At WEF 2019, business calls for urgent climate action
The hundreds of businesses taking bold climate action brought an urgent message to global leaders at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos – now is the time to raise the ambition of climate policy to help achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Germany’s steps towards coal phase out must become a sprint
Setting an end date of 2035-2038 is a welcome first step. However, the speed of the switch away from coal has to accelerate if Germany is to deliver its commitment as part of the Paris Agreement, writes We Mean Business coalition CEO Nigel Topping.