Sustainability Science

As the world plans its economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, it faces a crossroads - turn towards a greener, more resilient future or tip into a carbon-heavy trap that fails to limit global warming, a top climate finance official said.

Yannick Glemarec, executive director of the multi-billion-dollar Green Climate Fund (GCF), said the jury was still out on which direction will be taken, as governments are still deciding stimulus spending.

“If we can succeed in greening the economic stimulus measures, we will be able to effect a major course correction - one of the greatest ones in history,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview.

With the temporary decrease in global carbon emission this year, more giant companies such as Unilever are switching to a sustainable business model.

Multinational company Unilever joins WWF in calling on Australian leaders to set the economy on course to a zero-carbon future, targeting net-zero emission from all products by 2039. This target will be eleven years ahead of the 2050 Paris Agreement deadline. 

The multinational company aims to have the greenhouse (GHG) footprints across its operation. To accelerate the action, Unilever will collectively invest €1 billion (AUD$1.89 billion) in a new dedicated Climate and Nature Fund.

Last week, we saw digital democracy in action — a record number of leading businesses called on members of Congress to create a climate-sensitive, resilient recovery. And they did it from the comfort of their homes.

More than 300 CEOs and representatives from Fortune 500 firms, and medium and small businesses, logged on for 85 virtual meetings to tell lawmakers on both sides of the aisle that the US must build back better from the ravages of COVID-19.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is teaming up with a company to develop a carbon exchange platform where airlines, and passengers, can purchase offsets aimed at reducing the impact of air travel on the environment.

The European Commission, in a strategy due next week, will lay out measures to tackle EU greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector. Reports speak of 30 million electric vehicles by 2030 and related infrastructure.

According to a draft document seen by Reuters, “The EU’s goal of climate neutrality by 2050 cannot be reached without introducing very ambitious measures to reduce transport’s reliance on fossil fuels.” The news agency further quotes the EU Commission estimating that the targets would require “at least 30 million zero-emission vehicles by 2030”.

The Scottish multinational brewery and pub chain announced yesterday it became carbon negative, which makes it the world’s first international beer business to reach this status.

Thanks to a £30 million investment plan, BrewDog launched a series of unprecedented initiatives to remove carbon from the atmosphere and so help the fight against climate change.

Indonesia, a major coal exporter, uses coal to power around 60% of its electricity needs but the government is aiming to double the contribution of renewables

New report reveals that by meeting their science-based targets, these companies — with more GHGs than France and Spain, combined — will eliminate 265 million metric tons of emissions from their operations, equivalent to closing 68 coal-fired power plants.