Бизнес и финансы

Even If Some People Deny It’s Real, Corporations Are Stepping Up

Author: Robby Berman / Source: Big Think

Some good news about climate change, for a change. Last year, CDP, formerly called the “Carbon Disclosure Project,” took a look at how — and if — high-environment-impact businesses were responding to the 2016 Paris Climate agreement. The companies’ initial actions were a bit disappointing, with many companies not responding or not having plans in motion for meeting the Paris accord’s climate goals.

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Taking a second look this year, however, CDP found the picture is changing, as more companies are mapping out a low-carbon future. While some politicians continue to stubbornly ignore climate change, businesses are, nonetheless, getting down to work.

The CDP is a major source of company carbon emission data for more than 800 investors managing assets of over $100 trillion. It tracks corporations’ environmental behavior, including their transparency, philosophies, and actions. The non-profit organization also measures companies’ efforts to protect water and forests. Over 6,200 companies disclose environmental data to the CDP.

The first encouraging sign in this year’s CDP findings is that 58% of the high-impact combines responded to CDP’s requests for information. These companies frepresent the entire global economy, weighted towards higher carbon emitters and big companies. Together they account for 47% of market capitalization and 12% of total greenhouse gas emissions.

(CDP)

Even more positive is the number of companies now joining CDP’s A List, 112 companies whose environmental leadership earns them CDP’s highest score. Many are familiar names, such as Unilever, L’Oréal, Owens-Corning, Fujitsu, Nissan, and Ford.

According to information provided by CDP to Big Think:

89% of high-impact companies now have carbon emissions targets, with 68% to at least 2020 (up from 55% in 2016), and 20% with targets to 2030 and beyond (up from 14% in 2016).
14% of of the companies are committed to aligning their targets with climate science, a 5% increase since last year. 300-plus more companies (30%) plan to set targets within two years.
Current targets are taking the companies 31% of the way to a two-degree world, up from 25% in 2016.

(CDP)

Working to protect the climate is changing how these companies do business altogether. Again, numbers from CDP:

36% are offering low carbon products, including electric vehicles and zero-energy buildings (up from 30% in 2016).
75% assert that their efforts help third parties reduce emissions (up from 64% in 2016).
32% now use internal carbon pricing, with 18% more intending to implement it within two years.
36% more companies have set renewable energy consumption targets for their production lines in the last year (75 companies on 2017, up from 55 in 2016).