NEW METRICS -
The New Economy has begun. One year into a world where global leaders have agreed to act on 17 concrete Sustainable Development Goals, and where the full force of law is now behind the international agreement on climate change, we are speeding toward a bright future for business that creates value for people, the planet, and the economy.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Visionary architect and designer William McDonough - founder of William McDonough + Partners and McDonough Innovation, and co-author of the seminal text of the sustainability movement, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things - has proposed a new language of carbon that was published today in the scientific journal, Nature. The new language recognizes the element carbon as an asset, not an enemy, and defines a paradigm for carbon to be used safely, productively and profitably.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
Every day brings more news stories about the disruption and damage wreaked by climate change. And since the international Paris Agreement for climate action was signed this time last year, the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have continued to soar, making 2016 the hottest year on record. We’re already feeling the effects of climate change, and they aren’t going to go away.
STAKEHOLDER TRENDS AND INSIGHTS -
“Hidden Connections,” a thought-provoking digital video series premiering today, explores one of the human consequences of climate change — specifically its little-known link to child marriage. TakePart, the digital division of Participant Media, and the Thomson Reuters Foundation teamed up to produce the three-part series, which gives an intimate look at the lives of two young girls living in Bangladesh.
CLEANTECH -
Smart thermostat company ecobee has launched a first-of-its-kind program inviting its customers to voluntarily contribute their home heating and cooling data to advance energy and climate change science.
Historically, studies using home energy use data have been limited to small groups of homes, but smart homes could allow far more information to become available for research. With over one million customers, ecobee is hoping many of them will opt-in to sharing their data, anonymously and securely, to advance innovations in energy efficiency.
LEADERSHIP -
The host of food and drink company members of the United Kingdom’s (UK’s) Food and Drink Federation (FDF) have developed a series of new sustainability commitments. The newly-released “Ambition 2025” document builds on the group’s previous “Five-Fold Environmental Ambition” and includes goals related to climate change, food waste, packaging, water, transport, supply chains and natural capital, as well as case studies highlighting some of their members’ best practices.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
As much of the Southeast U.S. is still cleaning up from Hurricane Matthew, the country’s 13th billion-dollar weather disaster this year, a new Ceres report ranks the nation’s largest insurance companies on their responses to escalating climate risks, including severe weather events. The report finds that while more U.S. insurers are improving their disclosure and management of climate risks, most are still giving it minimal attention, both in terms of risks and opportunities.
STAKEHOLDER TRENDS AND INSIGHTS -
Companies have begun to recognize that climate change is occurring and that it poses a significant risk to their business. However, new research suggests that they may not be adequately addressing the problem. Consultancy Article 13 found that organizations are falling short when it comes to goal-setting and reporting against planetary boundaries and social thresholds.
CLEANTECH -
During Climate Week NYC 2016 this week, several companies made bold commitments through The Climate Group’s two leading corporate energy campaigns: RE100, which is focused on transitioning to 100 percent renewable power, and EP100, a new initiative focused on doubling energy productivity.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Business magnate Bill Gates and energy giant Total have backed biofuels company Renmatix in a $14 million investment round. Renmatix developed a new process called Plantrose® that makes converting biomass into cellulosic sugars – the critical intermediary for second-generation biochemicals and biofuels – more affordable for biorefineries.
The investment will help fund the process’ commercialization, which will expand the supply of cost-competitive alternatives to petroleum-derived molecules.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
Three of the world’s largest insurers have called on G20 leaders to implement a timeframe for the end of fossil fuel subsidies when they meet in China this week.
The G20 has already committed to phase out “inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption” over the “medium term.” In May, the G7 nations pledged to achieve this by 2025.
COLLABORATION -
While the challenges of climate change are undeniably global, politics and measures to actually solve them remain largely local. Last year’s Paris Agreement was a landmark moment for this issue. Now comes the difficult task of putting words and treaties into action.
The IUCN World Conservation Congress, set to begin in Honolulu this week, seeks to do just that. In order to be successful, it’s critical the delegates representing government, business, NGOs, the scientific community and indigenous people from more than 160 countries embrace not just the hard work ahead, but also the urgent need for meaningful collaboration.
LEADERSHIP -
The California State Assembly last week approved sweeping legislation that extends the state’s targets for reducing greenhouse gases from 2020 to 2030. Under SB 32, California would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.
The new legislation builds off of the projected success of AB 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, which calls for California to reduce greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2020 — a target the state is expected to reach.
LEADERSHIP -
We are in the midst of a metamorphic period of change unlike anything the world has seen since the Late Middle Ages. With “meta” (meaning “form”) and “morph” (meaning “change”), the word suggests the transformative change in form of human institutions now emerging as we awaken to the realities of climate change and the destruction of ecosystems we have long relied upon for our survival. As the organization specialist Peter Drucker insightfully said, ‘In times of turmoil, the danger lies not in the turmoil but in facing it with yesterday’s logic.’
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
A decade ago something remarkable happened: Business leaders watched Al Gore present An Inconvenient Truth, and accepted that man-made climate change was real and catastrophic.
CEOs said that something must be done and embraced carbon pricing and emissions trading. These same captains of industry were further encouraged when the UK Stern Review explained that early investment in low-carbon solutions would outweigh its costs and boost economic growth.
CLEANTECH -
On April 22 – Earth Day 2016 – a record 175 nations agreed to keep this century’s global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius by signing the Paris Agreement, conceived at last year’s Paris Climate Conference (COP21). While unclear what country-level solutions will emerge, we know moving towards a low-carbon future is a critical component.
CLEANTECH -
Transportation accounts for around one-seventh of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. And globally, greenhouse gas emissions are rising faster in transportation than in any other sector, with rapid motorization — more cars and trucks — being the principal cause.
NEW METRICS -
In this series of articles, the team at the Carbon Trust outlines the reasons for businesses to adopt science-based targets on climate change.
CLEANTECH -
News Deeply, in partnership with Sustainable Brands, is producing a series of profiles looking at how brands are tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges. The goal is to examine trends and gather insights from a new wave of corporate citizenship – in an era in which the private sector is increasingly expected to play a positive role in improving our lives and societies. This, the 1st article in the series, features additional reporting by Mike Hower.