Take Tesla, for example. Tesla has avoided approximately 13.4 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent through the sale and use of its products. However, Tesla cannot become an SBTi alliance company because it cannot increase car production by 10 times while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The same is true for the hundreds of companies with revolutionary ideas that were unable to scale due to the restrictiveness of SBTi dogma.
However, the SBTi will be signed regardless of whether the company is able to meet the SBTi’s criteria. For many, it’s easier to “hope for better” and pass the challenge on to their professional predecessors than to actually commit to a hard graft on decarbonisation.
In fact, tackling the climate challenge will require mobilizing resources, capital, and R&D as it did during World War II. This is more costly than anyone cares to admit, and requires a sufficient amount of global participation. In fact, it cannot continue to be an international luxury concern.
way
If companies deceive the public and tell them that decarbonization is “under control,” they engage in a particularly pernicious form of greenwashing when we realize that the job is much harder than previously realized or communicated — Green wish.
This approach is especially insidious because, in addition to wasting precious years, it also wastes what little reputational capital they have left.
The myth that decarbonization means bankruptcy can be debunked on multiple levels. However, if we take up the challenge too late (and some might argue that we already do), then we have only two options.
First, corporate fatigue, apathy, and nihilism hinder any further decarbonization efforts. Second, the scramble to decarbonize creates unsustainable economic disruption.
We simply don’t have the time to create frameworks, invest in solutions and devise the financial incentives we need to chart a decarbonization path.
to preach
As a sustainability consultant, I’d rather have a detailed, well-planned carbon reduction strategy that will reduce CO2 emissions by 25% over five years than a lofty, detail-sparse but jargon-rich 20 The annual net zero plan, which conveys nothing but the good vibes of the moment.
Businesses aren’t always villains. They provide the public with the goods and services they want and need. They often have more power and resources than governments to unlock the disruptive technologies we need.
However, like governments, businesses also face political quagmire. It’s easier to preach and pose than the hard technical work of finding solutions.
We don’t have time for empty promises. Let’s design an effective decarbonization plan, and then stick to it.
the author
Chris Hocknell works with sustainability consultancy 8 Versa.
