Many businesses are impacted in various ways as a result of climate change. Companies that wish to decrease climate change must first assess their greenhouse gas emissions. Once these emissions are established, they must be examined to determine which of the company’s activities is responsible for pollution. Companies can begin to consider climate action to minimize their emissions once the analysis completes.
As per World Bank, small and medium-sized enterprises account for roughly 90% of businesses and more than 50% of jobs worldwide. Small and medium-sized businesses’ maturity and relevant resources to take climate action are now limited. SMEs must join the race to zero in order to have any chance of halving global emissions by 2030.
Decrease your own emissions
Beginning with a decrease in carbon emissions from firm operations in the following ten years, emission reduction aims should be aligned with climate science. The possibility for conferences to become a permanent element of our working lives. Working from home has become increasingly popular as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic, demonstrating that we may eliminate various types of business travel.
Emissions, including upstream activities like those from manufacturers, and downstream activities, such as sold products, are included in value chain emissions. They usually account for the majority of a company’s total footprint. Enterprises must actively endeavor to reduce value chain emissions. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Procurement rules and supplier code of conduct standards, improvements in product design.
Make climate change a part of your business plan
To meet the 1.5°C targets, many sectors will need to be completely restructured. This will necessitate changing company structures in order to create new income streams and spur innovation. Company executives might begin by sketching out their company’s net-zero future. Transport sharing, circular economies, and close to home tourism are all examples of how businesses may assist in modifying consumer patterns.
To highlight your climate dedication, reevaluate your vision, mission statement, strategy, and processes. Shift your portfolio toward solutions that can help your clients avoid emissions and exponentially scale these solutions. Include your climate strategy into your product and service roadmaps which will improve customer engagement, and make it a requirement for any new solutions to be 1.5°C compliant. Make climate an essential element of your investment practices.
Promote society climate action
Climate influencers use their sphere of influence and enterprise network to promote climate action. This can be accomplished by influencing a diverse group of consumers, manufacturers, governments, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The Race to the Zero campaign has brought together a coalition of 449 cities. These “real economy” players have joined the world’s largest-ever coalition dedicated to attaining net-zero carbon emissions.
Work with customers and suppliers to enable new technologies and long-term value chain change. Encourage local and national politicians to increase climate action and policies that are consistent with the 1.5°C goals. Integrate a 1.5°C climate commitment into public policy and business aspects, including finance and financial investments. Educate young people about the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on climate change.
How can climate action help you live a better life?
Climate change is primarily caused by human activity. It’s also where the solution comes from. Climate action will benefit us in a variety of ways, from cleaner air and healthier diets to less time spent stuck in traffic. Clean transportation and green spaces will decongest our cities, while teleworking will make travelling a choice, and new opportunities, employment, and enterprises will emerge.
Heat, Lights and Appliances
Heat accounts for 25% of the total energy used in the average American home. Even minor adjustments might have a significant impact. When not using them, turn off the lights and appliances. Turn off devices at the power outlet. Instead of using your game system, use your smart TV to watch films. Smart TVs require only a few watts to play movies.
Eat Less Meat
Although food systems are complex, and research on the best environmentally friendly diets is still growing, experts generally agree that reducing meat consumption, particularly red meat, is better for the environment. This is due to the fact that red meat production consumes a lot of feed, water, and land. Methane emissions are also produced by cows (a harmful greenhouse gas produced).
Experts claim that following a vegan diet is likely to be the most environmentally friendly option. Red meat has 100 times the environmental impact of plant-based cuisine, shows a study in the journal Environmental Research Letters in 2017. An estimation has it that beef produces six pounds of carbon dioxide, while grains and potatoes produce less than half a pound per dish.
Climate action required to mitigate the effects of climate change
Eighty percent of the energy demands in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) continue to rely primarily on fossil fuels. To comply with the Paris Agreement, we predict that global clean energy infrastructure spending will need to reach USD 6.9 trillion per year. This is just 10% more than in a business-as-usual scenario with carbon-intensive fuels dominating the current market.
