The new report builds on an analysis conducted by the initiative last year into how the cost of delivering the SDGs had been pushed up by global shocks including the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine. The cost of delivery was priced, through that analysis, at $176trn. Costs had increased in areas relating to poverty alleviation, ending hunger, improving education and healthcare, delivering peace and reducing migration.

In the face of these new and evolving challenges, the new report looks at how technologies could be deployed to reduce the costs of SDG delivery in a manner that also paves the way for more inclusive global economies.

It concludes that the SDG delivery cost could be reduced by up to 20% – $30trn – simply by deploying existing technologies that enhance connectivity, including Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. These solutions can contribute to all manner of technologies, from monitoring farms and forests for sustainable management, to creating smart cities and better early warning systems for extreme weather events.

Force for Good interviewed 100 major tech companies for its report and found that almost two-thirds (64%) are pursuing initiatives in the IoT space.

Moreover, 57% are involved in developing and/or deploying smart grids, which would contribute to SDGs including Goal 7, affordable and clean energy for all.

Involvement in artificial intelligence (85%) and big data analytics (60%) was also found to be strong. AI has sustainable development-related applications including efficient energy management in buildings, optimising renewable energy generation arrays and energy storage and precision agriculture.

Emerging innovations

Force for Good also assessed the potential benefit of concerted work to deliver technology breakthroughs which are yet some years off, in fields including energy, materials, education and healthcare. There will also need to be changes in the ways financial systems are set up, to ensure capital flows support sustainable development and that people around the world can access financial services and support.

The conclusion is that further savings of up to $26trn on the cost of SDG delivery are possible, bringing the total savings potential up to $56trn.

For these savings to be realised, more tech industry players will need to collaborate in these fields. Force for Good’s research found that just 17 of the 100 businesses it interviewed are involved in material science, with medicine being another ‘niche’. While energy technologies are less niche, Force for Good’s research reveals a patchwork approach, with technology ‘winners’ for hard-to-abate sectors yet to be picked.

“These findings are a call to action to the technology sector, which – despite current headwinds – remains indispensable if the world is to achieve inclusive, sustainable growth for all,” said Force for Good advisory council member Jon Miller, former chair and chief executive of AOL.

“Successful businesses are already looking ahead to the next opportunity, especially in times of volatility and change.”

Leadership through crisis: Join the conversation at edie 23

Readers interested in this article are encouraged to join edie 23, the world’s largest corporate climate action event for business, sustainability and net-zero leaders.

Taking place on 1-2 March 2023 in London, the event is being held under the theme ‘leadership through crisis’. edie 23 will take place at the state-of-the-art 133 Houndsditch conference venue in central London. Held over two floors, the event will offer up two full days of keynotes, panels, best-practice case studies and audience-led discussions across three themed stages – Strategy, Net-Zero and Action.

Speakers including Unilever’s chief sustainability officer Rebecca Marmot, Leon Restaurants’ co-founder Henry Dimbleby, climate activist Elizabeth Wathuti and Google Europe’s head of sustainability Adam Elman have already been announced.

Click here to view a full agenda and to secure your place today. 

The broad aims of the ten-point plan are to increase passenger footfall by rebuilding consumer confidence after the pandemic, supporting jobs through a diversified workforce and embedding sustainability into the sector.

Delivery of the new ten-point plan will be supported by an all-new Aviation Council made up of airlines, airports and wider representatives from the aviation sector, as well as ministers and officials from both the UK Government and Devolved Administrations.

Aviation Minister Robert Courts said: “The pandemic posed an existential threat to the aviation sector. Now recovery has started, we have a chance to build back better than ever before. Through this new strategy, I’m setting out ten priorities to ensure we build an industry that’s not only fit for the future, but one that’s world-leading.

“By working closely with the sector to focus on sustainable growth, powered by the latest innovations, we can ensure aviation creates jobs and opportunities across all four nations of the UK.”

Sustainable growth?

The Government claims the plan will help develop the skillset and workforce to utilise new low-carbon technologies, including flying taxis, electric planes and sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs).

Aviation has often proven a sticking point in discussions around the transition to low-carbon transport. Globally, it accounts for 3% of emissions but, Covid-19 pandemic aside, has been one of the world’s fastest-growing sectors in terms of climate impact.

Detailed in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan is a commitment to align the sector with net-zero by 2050. Plans for delivery are broadly in line with those put forward by the UK Sustainable Aviation coalition, which last month published new targets for members to reduce absolute net emissions by at least 15% by 2030 and 40% by 2040.

As part of the Plan, the Government has launched a “Jet Zero” consultation, committing the sector to net-zero by 2050. For domestic aviation, an earlier target of 2040 will be consulted upon by the DfT. This will cover all airport operations in England as well as all domestic flights. All airport operations in England would also have to be zero-emission by this deadline. The Government will publish its Jet Zero Strategy later this year.

Earlier this year, the UK Government pledged to work with the aviation industry to deliver the world’s first net-zero-certified transatlantic flight by 2023, using a combination of alternative fuels and offsetting to mitigate emissions.

The flight will be powered using 100% SAF, with no conventional jet fuel in the mix. The Department for Transport (DfT) has asked the industry to prioritise the use of SAFs made using waste cooking oil and from household waste, as SAFs made using virgin biofuels can be detrimental in terms of land-use.

Currently, international regulations limit the level of SAF in blends to 50%. Flights can only be powered by blends exceeding 50% if the Civil Aviation Authority deems the aircraft suitable for a higher proportion. The DfT and industry will work to obtain this certification; Rolls-Royce has stated that it has already tested large, commercial aero engines using 100% SAF successfully.

SAFs purport to generate lifecycle emissions at levels significantly lower than conventional jet fuel. The DfT is forecasting a reduction of 70-80% in this case. To ensure that the transatlantic flight is net-zero, the DfT will work with the aviation industry to offset residual emissions.

While the sector is throwing its weight behind SAFs, the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) recommendations on decarbonisation in the sector focus more on electric aircraft and capping growth. The CCC’s most optimistic scenario for the national use of SAFs is 7% by 2030.

The sector has also been criticised for failing to cap growth in a bid to reduce emissions.

The broadcaster subsequently posted a 26.6% reduction in emissions from Scope 1 and 2 sources in its Social Purpose Report in March 2021.

While this reduction is, senior sustainability manager Jeremy Mathieu explains, partly attributable to Covid-19, ITV managed to implement several initiatives to cut emissions that will continue to drive progress post-lockdown. These include improving the energy efficiency of building fabric, improving lighting efficiency and procuring more renewable electricity. ITV also started using the Ecometrica software platform to improve the gathering, monitoring and reporting of emissions data.

With the 2021 report due in a matter of weeks, Mathieu says: “We do not want to pre-empt the 2021 data, of course. We expect emissions to have rebounded a little bit in 2021, but we will still be on track to meet our long-term and our year-on-year targets. We’re confident that we’re putting in place the activities that will reduce emissions further.

“In a way, the pandemic accelerated some of the technological innovations that were already in motion beforehand, and which will reduce emissions from sites and from travel.

“Now, we’re thinking about how we innovate more thoroughly and build solid, long-term roadmaps to go further than the changes we’re already seeing.”

The Social Purpose Report notably highlights the importance of building lasting emissions reductions through a green recovery in wider society – as well as in-house. It states: “Despite the massive disruption to people and economies around the world due to Covid-19, the global reduction in carbon emissions was only 7%. This puts the size of the changes needed to combat the climate crisis into sobering context.”

While grappling with the net-zero challenge is undeniably going to be front-of-mind for many in the sustainability profession this year – particularly in light of the energy price crisis and the increased questioning of greenwashing within the net-zero movement – Mathieu believes there is more to climate leadership than delivering robust reductions to emissions in-house. Another important factor, he says, is providing viewers of all kinds of programmes with the information and inspiration they need to play their own roles in the sustainability conversation.

He elaborates: “The audiences and opportunities that news and documentaries have are different than for sports, for example, or for soaps, and so on and so forth. It’s important to have an overall ambition, but you then have to support that ambition with the right types of content… We have done a lot of work in this respect in recent years, and, going forward, we want to be even more strategic about how we contribute to the conversation.”

On the box

ITV is notably participating in several initiatives from albert – BAFTA’s sustainability arm, which provides advice and collaboration on not only decarbonising operations and value chains (this is called the ‘production’ side of its work) but also telling strong sustainability stories in shows (this is called ‘editorial’).

The editorial side of albert’s work involves supporting broadcasters to undertake “planet placement”. A play on words from product placement (which was, of course, designed to subconsciously drive excessive consumption), planet placement involves shifting mindsets to make positive environmental behaviours mainstream. It goes beyond simply televising more environmental documentaries and news, towards making sure all programming is culturally relevant amid increased climate concern.

Recent examples of planet placement within ITV shows include a Coronation Street and Emmerdale episode discussing air pollution from road transport; Joanna Lumley and the Human Swan, a documentary covering a UK-wide expedition for climate solutions; and special editions of programmes including Tonight and The Martin Lewis Money Show for COP26.

Outlining why ensuring shows of all genres undertake planet placement is important, Mathieu says: “The audiences and opportunities that news and documentaries have are different than for sports, for example, or for soaps, and so on and so forth. It’s important to have an overall ambition, but you then have to support that ambition with the right types of content… We have done a lot of work in this respect in recent years, and, going forward, we want to be even more strategic about how we contribute to the conversation.”

Interestingly, at ITV, climate work sits under the umbrella of social purpose, which also covers diversity & inclusion, mental & physical health and giving back – as well as, of course, making sure content is accessible to the public. This means that meeting audiences where they are in the way they want to consume media (i.e. increasingly on-demand and on-the-go) is paired with meeting them where they are in the climate conversation.

“Climate is a big concern for a lot of people, so it needs to be important in all kinds of modern TV,” says Mathieu. “We cannot leave audiences in the vacuum of TV content that pretends that change is not happening.”

“To engage the audience with the topic, they need to feel that they are part of the solution…. Inviting people into a conversation will always feel more personal than forcing set solutions onto them. This also opens up the potential for them to share their own perspectives.”

The issue of “forcing set solutions” onto the general public has been a frustration for many in the UK’s sustainability space for several months now. When the Heat and Buildings Strategy was published last October, for example, critics spread false claims that the Government would legally – or even physically – have people remove gas boilers from their homes. This kind of occurrence has only become more common in the energy price crisis, which has served as a breeding ground for disinformation on decarbonisation and an opportunity for those with vested interests in high-carbon industries to manufacture a climate-related culture war.

The good news is that ITV is not alone in trying to change the narrative – and to convince the public that they don’t need to be watching news or documentaries every day to make a difference (although ITV is extending its evening news, which may well open space for more sustainability stories). Virtually all large broadcasters are involved with at least one albert initiative, including the BBC, Sky, BT, Channel 4, UKTV and Netflix.

In the spirit of Netflix’s recent hit film ‘Don’t Look Up’, whether this collective action will encourage audiences to truly ‘Look Up’ at scale – and see beyond increasingly clever greenwashing – remains to be seen. But the fact that the foundations are there, with climate becoming ever-more of a strategic priority for TV storytelling, is promising.

Join the conversation at edie’s Sustainability Leaders Forum 2022

edie’s biggest event of the year is returning as a live, in-person event for 2022. The dates have been moved from early February to March, to ensure collaboration and celebration can take place in person. 

The Sustainability Leaders Forum will now take place on 7, 8 and 9 March 2022, and will unite hundreds of professionals for inspiring keynotes, dynamic panel discussions, interactive workshops and facilitated networking. There will also be digital tickets.

Taking place at London’s Business Design Centre, the event will feature more than 60 speakers, including experts from Natural England, the Green Finance Institute, the World Economic Forum and the Centre for Climate Repair. We’re planning our most diverse and inspirational programme yet.

Click here for full information and to book your pass.

Jeremy Mathieu will be co-hosting a workshop on acing sustainability communications and engagement at the pre-Forum seminar on 7 March, at 2.45pm. He will be joined by Hubbub CEO Trewin Restorick and experts from Ecologi and Forster Comminications. 

Sarah George

Funding will be provided in the form of development impact bonds, issued by the Joint SDG Fund from the UN. The fund launched in 2021, initially providing $41m and then a further $17.9.

In Madagascar, the focus will be on SDGs 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and 13 (Climate Action). The nation will launch a sovereign fund to finance renewable energy projects and expand energy access. Madagascar has considerable hydropower and biomass sectors and is now seeking to expand solar generation. It also needs to rapidly improve energy access; the UNDP estimates that only one in four people in Madagascar have access to electricity.

Similarly, Zimbabwe will use its share of the funding to launch a renewable energy fund, furthering SDGs 7 and 13. As in Madagascar, most renewable energy generation in Zimbabwe is currently from bioenergy. IRENA data shows that, in 2018, there was no supply from wind or solar. Zimbabwe has pledged to use the fund to also further progress on SDG 5, Gender Equality, supporting women into related jobs.

Also working on SDG 7 will be North Macedonia. Funding from the UN will be used to support a new financing facility to help households and businesses improve energy efficiency and self-generate clean energy. This initiative should advance progress towards SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities, as well.

Meanwhile, the government in Suriname will use the funding to support farmers to develop sustainable and climate-resilient supply chains and access additional funding.

Finally, in Kenya, funding will enable the creation of a platform designed to prevent HIV. Kenya is grappling with a generalized HIV epidemic, with UNICEF estimating that more than 111,500 children were living with the virus in 2020.  

Through the Joint SDG Fund, the UN is expecting to unlock $5bn of investment across the 10 countries that have already received a share of funding.

The UN’s Special Envoy on Innovative Finance and Sustainable Investments Hiro Mizuno said the Fund offers “a sustainable investment model by leveraging the power of markets to accelerate businesses, empower communities, and provide a clear path to self-sufficiency”.

The launch of the fund came after the UN’s own annual report on SDG progress in 2021 revealed backwards progress in several areas. That report stated that the pandemic will have pushed at least 83 million additional people into chronic hunger; disrupted routine health services in 90% of countries and hampered gender equality and education.

On environment-related goals, while a reduction in emissions was recorded, the report warned that most national governments were not setting strong enough green recovery policies to lock them in. It also detailed a drop in investment in clean energy in many developing countries, as well as slowed progress in phasing out polluting cooking fuels.

Similarly, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s subsequent annual report showed the first reversal in progress, overall, since the SDGs were adopted in 2015.

Sarah George

Retail and hospitality businesses in the area are invited to access support as to how they can improve sustainability across their organisation. The pilot street has been backed with initial funding from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and is supported by the Retail Sector Council (RSC), Bradford Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority, with support from the European Regional Development Fund.

Local businesswomen Victoria Robertshaw is leading the pilot’s rollout. “Green Street is a truly innovative sustainability scheme that focuses on retail and hospitality businesses. It’s all about supporting those businesses and enabling them to work together to achieve more by becoming  greener. This not only helps the environment but can also positively influence shopping behaviour and impact their bottom line,” Robertshaw said.

“More and more consumers want to become greener and embrace lifestyle changes, and they’re looking for businesses that will help them make the transition. We also believe that by being more sustainable, it will help Green Street businesses cut costs, reduce waste, increase sales, as well as help the planet.”

The RSC acts as a strategic liaison between BEIS and the retail sector. It is urging businesses in Bradford to sign up to Green Street with 30 retail and hospitality businesses selected to take part in the pilot so far. Plans for a wider Green Street rollout across the UK will be discussed based on the success of the pilot.

Businesses that take part in the initiative will gain access to reviews from a range of experts who will uncover quick wins and cost savings based on sustainable actions. Financial benefits will also be measured across the trial in a bid to incentivise more businesses to take part in any expansions.

Retail success

An analysis of the climate footprint of dozens of the UK’s best-known retailers has revealed that the sector’s carbon emissions are down 49% on 2005 levels.

Published by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), the figures cover more than 25% of the UK’s retail sector by turnover, accounting for all consortium members disclosing their carbon emissions. Sources of emissions covered include store operations and deliveries to and from stores.

The BRC had set its retailer members a target to deliver a 25% absolute reduction in emissions between 2005 and 2020. Overall, this target was far exceeded.

Despite this strong progress, the BRC said in a statement that there is “still much more” to be done to deliver the sector’s collaborative transition to net-zero by 2040 – ten years ahead of the UK Government’s legally binding deadline.

Report: Can the retail sector deliver a green recovery?

edie readers interested in the topics covered in this news story are encouraged to access the free Mission Possible: Green Recovery report on retail. 

Published in late 2020 with the support of Reconomy, the report outlines the challenges that retailers face in relation to the coronavirus pandemic, and the opportunities that the green recovery will bring, using first-person opinions from a steering group of experts in the sector, alongside the results of edie’s own survey of 240+ sustainability and energy professionals.  

Access the free report here. 

Matt Mace

NCC’s Energy Services are leading the response to reduce fuel poverty in Nottingham, with a reduction in rates from 18.4% in 2012 to 13.9% in 2018. However, as of late 2020, there were still 18,666 households in fuel poverty. As citizens are spending more time at home adhering to Covid-19 guidance, energy consumption is inevitably rising and putting more people at risk of financial difficulties and health concerns associated with inadequately heated homes.

NCC recognised that action was required to support citizens when the first lockdown was announced in March 2020. The Council’s customer services function implemented new business continuity practices to ensure that a high level of customer services could be maintained. For example, where heat network customers were identified as self-isolating, a card with pre-loaded credit was sent to them to ensure they did not get cut off, priority service customers received periodic welfare calls, and any customers facing financial hardship were provided with credit to last them for two months.

Additionally, the Warm Homes Hub was launched, bringing £1m of support to the city, delivered alongside Age UK, Nottingham Energy Partnership and E.On. This worked alongside NCC’s leading innovation programme which delivers deep retrofit to net-zero carbon standards through low-carbon technology and advanced off-site manufacture, which is being rolled out to 335 homes and continues with the implementation of a range of Covid-safe measures.

NCC is working to become the UK’s first carbon-neutral city and has prioritised actions from the plan which support a green recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. The Warm Homes Hub will install first-time central heating systems to 100 properties, moving away from the dirtiest forms of fossil fuel heating, and will provide a package of support, including energy-saving advice, benefit checks, tariff switching and an emergency fund for those who lack adequate heating, to 1,000 vulnerable households. This will help address the three strands outlined in NCC’s 2018 fuel poverty strategy: reducing energy bills, improving energy efficiency, and maximising household income.

At the time of this Award being given (February 2021), the project had saved an average of £1,176 per household. As part of the Council’s domestic retrofit programme, it had installed 40,000 energy efficiency measures to homes in the city, including insulation, new windows and doors. Its deep retrofit innovation projects trial the Energiesprong model as a way to reach net-zero carbon standards. Importantly, tenants benefit from reduced and fixed energy bills, as well as a guaranteed comfort standard, which provides a minimum temperature, volume of hot water and electrical appliance load. It was calculated that the homes should have been paying £1,800 a year for their energy usage, but it was found that only £600 was paid on average, resulting in under-heated, cold and draughty homes which put vulnerable tenants at risk of poor health.

Now that the pilot is complete, the tenants pay £500 a year for all their energy needs. As a result of these interventions, Nottingham’s most vulnerable citizens are being protected from the impacts of Covid-19 and further hardship that they may have suffered. It was the Council’s hope that no resident would have to face the choice between food and an adequately heated home in the winter, and it will continue to work with its partners to tackle fuel poverty in the city through its support schemes and physical works.

NCC expects its green recovery projects to continue to support its objectives of tackling fuel poverty and achieving a carbon-neutral city by 2028, and has accelerated its efforts to achieve these goals. These objectives are measured and monitored through NCC’s fuel poverty action plan and carbon-neutral action plan, which will ensure that work continues post-Covid-19. As a result of the successful implementation of its green recovery projects, Nottingham is preparing a next phase of interventions, including extending its Warm Homes Hub first time central heating system workstream which is overprescribed, and bidding for central government funding to extend its domestic deep retrofit projects to more homes and different housing archetypes, as well as making an offering to privately owned properties.

What edie’s judges said: “NCC has taken a genuinely different approach that gets to the nub of a systemic issue. Poor and otherwise vulnerable residents are disproportionately impacted by both Covid-19 and fuel poverty. NCC has targeted these critically important issues with a suite of innovative measures with social and decarbonisation benefits.”

Join the celebrations at edie’s 2022 Sustainability Leaders Awards ceremony!

Now in its 15th year, the world’s largest sustainable business awards scheme champions bold and brilliant climate leadership. From the best net-zero carbon programmes through to cutting-edge product innovations – winning an edie Sustainability Leaders Award empowers teams, inspires stakeholders and accelerates sustainable business growth.

edie will be announcing the winners of the 2022 Sustainability Leaders Awards at a live ceremony on the evening of 30 March at the Park Plaza London, Westminster. It is highly recommended that you book your place at the Awards as soon as you are able to (premium tables are limited).

Click here to view a full list of the shortlisted entries for this year’s Awards. 

edie Staff 

The report notes that 80% of the predicted workforce in 2030 are currently working, meaning that a major upskilling programme will be required to retrain people to work efficiently in low-carbon jobs and markets.

The Green Alliance’s senior policy adviser Helena Bennett said: “There’s no doubt that net-zero will bring huge job opportunities for the UK. But if the prime minister wants a ‘high wage, high skill’ economy, then we need to build a workforce for the green jobs of the future.

“Supporting businesses, institutions and individuals will help to develop the skills we need for thriving green industries. But if we don’t have a proper programme the UK risks being outpaced by other countries.”

The report states that current and impending legislation on skills, including involvement from the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB), “must give due regard to environmental goals, while environmental legislation must do the same for skills”.

Other recommendations include the UK Government setting up a “green skills super deduction” tax relief for businesses to offer training for staff for green jobs. This would mirror the super deduction policy for machinery announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in the 2021 spring budget. Loans and grants should also be provided for businesses to help retrain and train staff to embed green skills into in-work education.

Skills gap

The UK’s Green Jobs Taskforce has claimed that every single role in the UK could become a “green job” in the future – but only if the Government clarifies the path to net-zero by 2050, including new measures to invest in low-carbon technologies and to build a robust skills pipeline.

New jobs created to help drive the UK’s transition to net-zero could pay 18% more than the national average salary – and 30% more than the average salary offered by companies in high-emitting sectors. That is according to a report from thinktank Onward, entitled ‘Qualifying for the Race to Net-Zero’.

The report outlines how 3.2 million workers will need to “boost their skills” if the UK is to meet its 2050 net-zero target. This figure covers upskilling and retraining. Among the sectors most affected, the report states, are construction and transportation, where 30% and 26% of workers respectively will need upskilling.

The UK’s current overarching green jobs target is growing low-carbon and nature sectors to cover two million full-time-equivalent roles by 2030. But it is not on track to meet that aim.

Green recovery 

Additionally, the Office For National Statistics (ONS) published research last year finding that more than 800,000 job losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic in the UK could be replaced by new green jobs, provided government and private investment is mobilised correctly.

This week WEF’s ‘Global Risks Report’ assessed the biggest risks on an international scale, in terms of likelihood and the severity of their likely impacts. The global survey of risk analysts and other experts found that only one in ten believe the global recovery from Covid-19 will accelerate in the short-term and mid-term. A particular concern is expressed about a disorderly and unequal climate transition and interlinked disorderly and unequal financial and public health approach to the pandemic.

Matt Mace

In the short-term – the next 24 months – the report ranks extreme weather as the top global risk, followed by the livelihood crisis caused by Covid-19 and the risks of climate inaction. Of course, the first and third points are linked.

A recent report from Christian Aid concluded that financial losses from extreme weather in 2021 are likely to be at a record high, with flooding in Europe costing $43bn, Hurricane Ida in North America costing $65bn and flooding and typhoons in Asia costing $24bn.

The WEF’s ranking for global risks in the medium-term – between 2024 and 2027 – places climate inaction at the top, followed by extreme weather and an erosion of social cohesion.

Worryingly, the WEF’s global survey of risk analysts and other experts found that only one in ten believe the global recovery from Covid-19 will accelerate in the short-term and mid-term. Particular concern is expressed about a disorderly and unequal climate transition and interlinked disorderly and unequal financial and public health approach to the pandemic. Organisations contributing to the WEF’s research include the University of Oxford, the National University of Singapore, the University of Pennsylvania, Zurich Insurance Group, SK Group and Marsh McLennan.

The short-term and medium-term predictions both give a higher ranking to environmental issues than the 2021 edition of the WEF’s Global Risks Report. This is partly due to the successful implementation of vaccination and testing schemes in several nations, which has pushed the public health aspect of the pandemic down the rankings.

Moving to the long-term predictions for 2027 – 2032, the top two remain the same and biodiversity loss takes third place. The general scientific consensus is that the Earth is heading towards a sixth mass extinction without concerted efforts to halt and reverse ecosystem damage. The UN is midway through its 15^th Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), where nations are working to agree on a new ‘Paris-Agreement-style’ pact for nature.

The WEF’s top five long-term risks are rounded out by natural resource crises and human environmental damage that is not emissions-related.

Zurich Insurance Group’s chief risk officer Peter Giger said: “The climate crisis remains the biggest long-term threat facing humanity. Failure to act on climate change could shrink global GDP by one-sixth and the commitments taken at COP26 are still not enough to achieve the 1.5C goal.

“It is not too late for governments and businesses to act on the risks they face and to drive an innovative, determined and inclusive transition that protects economies and people.”

Depending on which analysis you use, the COP26 outcomes are believed to have put the world on track for a 1.8C to 2.4C temperature increase trajectory. This is provided that all national and international commitments are met in full – a feat which has not happened to date.

You can read edie’s full recap of COP26 and its outcomes by downloading our free guide.

The report from the WEF comes one week before the organisation was due to host its annual eponymous summit in Davos, Switzerland. The decision was taken in December 2021 to postpone the event until summer 2022 amid concerns about the Omicron variant of Covid-19.  

Sarah George

But it’s clear to see from the headlines and our LinkedIn feeds that the work never truly stops, from misinformation around the energy price crisis, to calls for more joined-up green policymaking as the economic recovery from Covid-19 continues. 

With this in mind, edie has highlighted 22 aspirational new goals that professionals can work towards to help drive business prosperity while alleviating some key environmental and planetary concerns.

1) Set out a plan to reach net-zero…

Since the UK legislated for net-zero by 2050 in 2019, the conversation is widely regarded as having moved past target-setting and into a phase of detailed planning and delivery. After all, there are now just eight years left to halve global net emissions in line with the recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Speaking at edie’s recent SPARK! Workshop event, Mullaley’s director of sustainability and corporate governance Peter Sharman said his main professional goal is to set out a “very clear roadmap” to net-zero. 

2) … and make sure your organisation’s net-zero approach is collaborative

Speaking to edie shortly before the festive break, National Grid’s chief sustainability officer Duncan Burt said he will – and others should – place “significant focus” on “leveraging the momentum of COP26 through collaboration with government, industry and business to deliver zero-carbon energy, accelerate the transition and seize the chance to keep 1.5C in sight”.

After a two-year lead-up to Glasgow and a whirlwind of a summit, it would be all too easy to rest on our laurels. But by forging meaningful partnerships and effective communications, professionals can lean on each other’s strengths and maximise their impact.

3) Properly consider your role in delivering a just transition

From 2023, large businesses in some high-emitting sectors will be mandated, by the UK Government, to publish net-zero transition plans with details on how workers and communities will be supported. In other words, the talk of the green recovery that was so loud during 2020 and early 2021 may be quieter, but policymakers are now taking steps to push the transition from theory to reality.

There is, of course, more at stake than simple fines for non-compliance with regulation. As the World Benchmarking Alliance’s social transformation lead Dan Neale explained to edie in a recent interview, businesses with poor just transition plans will likely lose out financially sooner than they are expecting. Potential risks include issues recruiting and retaining talent; loss of investor support and physical risks to assets.

4) Avoid carbon tunnel vision

IEMA recently invited edie’s senior reporter Sarah George to chair a virtual panel on net-zero strategy and delivery, featuring experts from National Grid, Kew Gardens, the NHS, the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Several questions came in from the thousands of audience members on how sustainability professionals can, in 2022 and beyond, avoid seeing net-zero as the be-all and end-all, making decisions that factor in all parts of environmental sustainability. For example, a poorly planned renewable energy array can harm biodiversity, as can biomass.

 There was a general agreement that awareness is the first step, followed by robust materiality assessments and forecasting, then good communications.

5) Upskill your organisation on sustainability topics

edie’s Business Barometer, which polled 161 CSR and sustainability managers in summer 2021, found that 85% believe engagement and behaviour change is an important short-term priority on the road to net-zero. 

Judging by how busy the workshop relating to these topics at the SPARK! Workshops were, this focus is continuing into 2022. Turner & Townsend’s principal sustainability consultant Maria Spyrou, who chaired this workshop, said her resolution is to gather information on how well team members understand sustainability and deliver tailored education from this baseline.

6) Engage the public with decarbonisation

Also speaking at SPARK! was One Home’s chief executive Angela Terry. After delivering an impassioned panel speech on how recent policy decisions have sent “mixed messages” on the environment to the UK public and UK Plc, she told us of a professional resolution to help the public better understand carbon jargon – and to not conflate the low-carbon transition with a higher cost of living.

7) Take a more joined-up approach to nature

When edie called Wonderoom’s founder Mairead Cahill for a catch-up, she said she would like to see more of her peers resolving to “harness the full power and opportunity that Nature-Based Solutions present to deliver biodiversity, climate, people and business benefits”.

Cahill said: “Go beyond looking attree-planting and offsets, and into a rounded view on where and how your business can generate most impact and value – from investing in strategically aligned nature-based solutions, to purchasing the ecosystem services they provide; to engaging your people in projects that also create learning and development opportunities, and to exploring broader assets you have that may be useful in supporting Nature-based solutions”.

8) Get to grips with Scope 3 emissions…

According to CDP, the average large business will have indirect (Scope 3) emissions some 11.4 times greater than its direct emissions. Properly addressing Scope 3 is, therefore, key to delivering a credible net-zero approach. 

Speaking to edie at SPARK!, Arcus’ environment and sustainability lead Kathryn Ebrey said measuring and reducing emissions across the whole value chain will be a focus for 2022. 

9) … And properly support your suppliers

For most firms, purchased goods and services will account for a sizeable proportion of Scope 3 emissions. So, tying back to the points on net-zero strategy, delivery will not be possible without properly collaborating with suppliers. 

Larger suppliers may well be facing the same regulatory and reputational pressures as your organisation, and also have the finance and skills in-house to undertake activities like emissions accounting and target setting. But there is a growing body of research highlighting how many SMEs will not operate in this context and will need extra support. 

Simply pressuring suppliers, especially smaller firms, to set and deliver science-based emissions cuts, is not likely to be enough. Taking a more context-based and holistic approach would be a good resolution for 2022. 

10) Explore how your organisation’s products and services can help the wider net-zero transition

During a recent SustyTalk video discussion, Virgin Media O2’s head of corporate responsibility and sustainability Tracey Herald outlined how the company was planning to explore how its technology services and solutions could help with the UK’s wider net-zero transition.

11) Become an activist investor

In 2021, campaigns like Make My Money Matter (MMM) directed attention to how moving your money or engaging with your bank, insurance and pensions providers can significantly lower your personal carbon footprint. MMM claims that greening your pension could save 21 times more carbon than going vegetarian, switching to renewable energy domestically and quitting flying.

It is clear to see, then, how the value of helping your organisation’s finance team assess pensions and investment could multiply this effect.

There was, at the same time, an uptick in climate-related shareholder resolutions being filed at finance and fossil fuel giants. In a personal capacity, you may wish to invest in polluting companies purely to support activist investor resolutions for the 2022 AGM season.  

12) Be a better ally

An often-quoted statistic on diversity in environmental professions comes from the NUS, which found in 2018 that more than 95% of UK-based professionals are white, compared to 87% of the population. This makes the sector one of the least racially diverse in the country, and that is before intersections with class, disability and the LGBTQ+ community are considered. 

For the recent Christmas Special of edie’s podcast, Diversity in Sustainability’s co-founder Heather Mak dialled in from Canada to provide some practical steps on how professionals can better support peers from marginalised groups and advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in their organisation and beyond.

Mak highlighted the importance of teams “turning the spotlight on themselves” and assessing how business models and team processes could be upholding old barriers. Diversity in Sustainability’s recent report also lists more recommendations in depth. 

13) Grow your team

The ILO estimates that there will be 24 million green-collar jobs created between 2021 and 2030, and the likelihood is that your LinkedIn feed over the past year or so will have been filled with adverts for new roles, as businesses seek to deliver net-zero. 

With pressure for sustainable business coming from the top-down and bottom-up, and more C-suites now realising the pressing need to de-silo sustainability and deliver true culture change, now is a prime moment to pitch for additions to your team. This handy explainer from MIT Sloan, on trends in sustainability jobs, may help your case.

14) Become a mentor and/or mentee 

Tying in to point 13, sustainability professionals often work alone or as part of small teams. This, plus ever-growing to-do lists, can make it hard to meet new people and take the step back you need to expand your perspective and skillset. 

Becoming a mentor and/or receiving reverse mentorship is a potential way around these challenges. Joining networks like edie’s Sustainability Leaders Club and Net-Zero Leaders Club can help to set up this kind of partnership.

15) Prepare for TCFD requirements

The UK Government confirmed, just before COP26, that large companies will be mandated to disclose information in alignment with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) from April 2022. Spring 2023 was also floated as a date but, ultimately, the quicker course of action was chosen. 

edie’s recent edie Explains guide on TCFD reporting, published in association with Inspired Energy, can help your organisation prepare for this new requirement. 

16) Evolve your approach to the green recovery

Throughout 2020 and early 2021, edie evolved its ongoing ‘Mission Possible’ campaign to focus on the need to create a green recovery from Covid-19, providing sector-specific snapshots and resources. 

In the months to have followed, it’s clear that most investment from nations has been flowing into a ‘business-as-usual’ recovery rather than a green one. The Covid-19 situation itself has also changed, with vaccine rollouts accelerating in some geographies and stalling in others as Omicron spreads. Now would be a prime time to properly reassess your organisation’s plans for pairing positive social, environmental and financial outcomes at this moment in time. 

17) Scale-up circular business models

Circle Economy’s annual report this time last year revealed that 39% of global annual emissions could be mitigated by a global circular economy shift. Awareness of the links between materials and climate has been growing ever since. 

The logistics of refill, reuse, repairing and sharing have been hard during the pandemic, but many businesses and projects in these fields have continued to receive strong backing from investors. With investors and consumers increasingly aware of how many larger brands are under-investing in these offerings, you can explain to your board that they may well look elsewhere, to more innovative firms, unless you make the change. 

18) Build in board-level accountability

The importance of having board-level buy-in has been emphasised many times by sustainability professionals. But in the digital age, where greenwashing and poor environmental performance face enhanced scrutiny from investors and the public, board-level accountability is becoming increasingly important. 

Recent PwC research found that around two-thirds of FTSE100 firms now link executive pay to at least one ESG metric, up from less than one-half in 2020. Building in accountability using this approach, or similar, may be on your to-do list for 2022. 

19) Keep pushing for policy changes

2021 was, undeniably, a major year for green policy changes. COP26 saw top-level commitments on decarbonisation, climate adaptation and cleantech made by several nations and, here in the UK, the long-term net-zero goal was fleshed out with moves like the Sixth Carbon Budget, Heat and Buildings Strategy and Transport Decarbonisation Plan.

But there is clearly still a lot of work to be done. Pledges made at COP26 will put the world on track for 1.8C – 2.4C of warming (depending on which forecast you read) – but this isn’t enough to safeguard the most exposed nations and communities. Moreover, unless the pledges are delivered in full, we will face a far warmer world. 

Businesses and people, working in collaboration, have effected green policy change several times in recent months, and this will likely continue into 2022. Case studies include the moving of the UK’s petrol and diesel car ban forward to 2030. Policies on the horizon include the Agriculture Bill and Resources and Waste Strategy. 

Many sustainability professionals and businesses are also, at present, campaigning for amendments to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. In its current form, it will drastically reduce the right to peaceful protest on all topics, including climate.  

20) Open yourself to dialogue with youth

September 2019 saw the largest Climate Strike in Europe to date taking place in London. While previous events have mainly attracted crowds of youth activists, this event saw businesses marching in solidarity in considerable numbers, including architects and engineers. 

Some leading businesses and individual professionals alike have continued to support youth sustainability work going forward, but it’s still been far more common to see social media posts of admiration, or one-off donations, than actual dialogue. 

At COP26, edie caught up with Natura & Co’s chief brand, innovation, international and sustainability officer Andrea Alvares. She spoke on the podcast about the importance of listening to challenges from activists authentically, ahead of an event featuring the Body Shop’s ‘youth council’. Click here for the council members’ takes on what youth activists expect from businesses claiming to be sustainable.

21) Get others to ‘look up’

The movie Don’t Look Up arrived on Netflix over the festive period and despite its satirical nature, it provides a bizarre sense of accuracy for those playing their part in attempting to respond to the climate crisis.

The film is based on astronomers who discover a planet-ending comet and are cast into the world of mainstream media mockery and political denial, feats that are alarmingly close to the response to the climate crisis to date. During the film, a movement emerges calling on society to “look up” and watch as the comet approaches earth.

Efforts to reach net-zero by 2050 at the latest still seem like a long way off and can therefore be dismissed by some members of society as a long-term endeavor rather than an urgent shift in behaviours that are required today. As such, the role of sustainability professionals, experts and activists is to get others to “look up” by embracing everyday changes that can make a difference in combatting the climate crisis. In short, getting others to look up requires sustainability professionals to become agents of change.

22) Acknowledge your successes

Delivering truly transformational approaches to sustainability can feel like swimming against a tide – one filled to the brim with fossil fuel subsidies, short-term business models and environmental trade-offs.

Yet some businesses really are striving for change across the sustainability spectrum, and for every negative headline that is splashed across the news sites it is important to recap the successes you’ve helped deliver to date, or to get inspired by others.

edie’s Sustainability Leaders Awards and Forum will take place in February and acts as the ideal platform to get insight from corporate leaders and celebrate the best projects, initiatives and strategies that are aimed at combatting the climate crisis.

Find out more information about the Forum here, or read up on last year’s award winners to see if you feel your achievements should be acknowledged when entries for our awards reopen later in the year.

edie Staff

And with 2022 just around the corner, now is the perfect time to reflect and recap on some of the biggest stories of the year. 

What is the UK’s Sixth Carbon Budget, for example? What new national commitments were made at COP26? And how can the circular economy help us to create a low-carbon world?

edie’s editorial team has put together a quiz that will tell you whether you’re a sustainability superstar, or if you need to be following the green business news a little more closely in the New Year.  

If you didn’t get top marks, why not take a few minutes to read and bookmark edie’s month-by-month round-up of all of this year’s biggest sustainability stories? This article covers the 15th UN Biodiversity COP, sweeping policy changes across the world and much, much more.

2021 proved, once again, that both of these sentiments still ring true. The build-up to COP26 and the two-week summit itself have meant that, here in the UK, environmental sustainability has never been more prominent in the psyche of the general public.  There have been major policy announcements, enhanced media coverage, new business coalitions and, while we know these still do not add up to what science demands, the direction of travel is clear.

After such a hectic and landmark year, many of us will be keen to wind down, take stock of the past year and set out what we want to focus on for 2022.

And, with this in mind, edie has rounded up all of the biggest sustainability stories from the policy, business and public spheres during 2021. We are UK-based, so there is a focus on stories from the UK.

JANUARY: Prince Charles launches Terra Carta

Less than two weeks into 2021, the Prince of Wales launched a new business commitment – the Terra Carta – in a bid to “accelerate and mainstream sustainability”.  Developed after the prince’s call for a “marshall-like plan for nature, people and planet” at Climate Week NYC in September 2020, the charter lays out shared goals on issues including climate, ecosystem and community protection. It has garnered the support of dozens of corporations.

Separately, Unilever outlined a new social sustainability strategy, with targets including an ambition to spend €2bn annually with suppliers consisting of under-represented groups by 2025.

Elsewhere, the UN High-Level Climate Champions and COP26 President Alok Sharma launched the ‘Race to Zero Breakthroughs’ initiative, in a bid to create tipping points for hard-to-abate and high-emitting sectors in the net-zero transition.

Away from the corporate space, the UK Government confirmed the delay of the Environment Bill amid the Covid-19 lockdown. It would not return to Parliament until late May. Across the Atlantic, Joe Biden signed a string of executive orders around nature conservation and minimising emissions from the energy sector.

FEBRUARY: edie hosts virtual Sustainability Leaders Forum and Awards

February 2021 saw edie’s long-standing Sustainability Leaders forum and Sustainability Leaders Awards taking place in an all-virtual setting for the first time, with the UK still in lockdown.

Inspirational speakers at the Forum included Paris Agreement architect Tom Rivett-Carnac, now co-founder of Global Optimism, and the UK Government’s  Net-Zero Business Champion, Andrew Griffith MP.

The Awards, meanwhile, recognized excellence across the spectrum of sustainable business, crowning winners in 24 categories. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Dame Polly Courtice, the founder and director of the Cambridge Institute of  Sustainability Leadership (CISL). Click here for a full list of winners.

Beyond edie’s four walls, the big news in the UK was the publication of the Dasgupta Review – a landmark paper assessing how businesses and policymakers can include and account for nature as part of economic decision. The paper has been described as being as influential as the Stern review on climate change.

Elsewhere, the Treasury continued to resist calls for net-zero stress tests for major projects and Cumbria County Council chose to put plans for the UK’s first deep coal mine in more than 30 years on hold.

MARCH: UK Budget prompts mixed reactions across the green economy

The UK’s 2020 Budget, originally due to be delivered in Autumn 2020, was pushed back to this March due to the pandemic. There were several announcements that will directly affect the UK’s net-zero transition and delivery of broader environmental ambitions. On the one hand, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced plans to issue £15bn of green sovereign bonds this financial year; allocate £1bn of funding to net-zero innovations and create eight freeport regions where green business investment processes will be streamlined.

On the other hand, fuel duty was frozen for a twelfth consecutive year, while the Green Homes Grant and National Nature service went unmentioned. There was also anger over proposed cuts to Air Passenger Duty, and the absence of new tax incentives for renewable energy and the circular economy.

Here at edie, we hosted a special Circular Economy Week editorial campaign. This included exclusive interviews, podcasts, reports, webinars and in-depth feature articles – all dedicated to embracing closed-loop models.

APRIL: Europe finally agrees 2030 climate target

European Union negotiators reached a deal on the European Climate Law after 14 hours of talks in April, agreeing on a new 2030 ambition for the bloc to reduce emissions by at least 55% by 2030. There was also an agreement to develop a 2040 target and sector-specific roadmaps for any industries requesting them.

This marked a major milestone following the EU’s commitment to net-zero by 2050. It also came shortly after a report revealing how incompatible EU member states’ plans for gas infrastructure expansions are with this 2050 goal. 

In the private sector, 52 businesses including Colgate-Palmolive, PepsiCo and Sainsbury’s signed The Climate Pledge, co-organised by Amazon and Global Optimism. The Pledge is headlined by a promise to reach net-zero by 2040 at the latest. Separately, The Food and Drink Federation (FDF), which represents more than 300 companies, unveiled an ambition on behalf of the sector to reach net-zero emissions by 2040.

MAY: IEA calls for an immediate halt to new fossil fuel exploration

Back in 2019, the International Energy Agency (IEA) was accused of failing to show how the world could align with the Paris Agreement. 

In a major step-change, following adjustments of key methodologies for the World Energy Outlook, May saw the Agency publishing its first report plotting the changes needed in the power, energy and heat sectors if the world is to have the best chance of limiting temperature increases to 1.5C.

The roadmap set out more than 400 milestones on the global journey to net-zero and was intended to inform negotiations at COP26. Milestones include stopping plans for future fossil fuel supply projects – especially more aggressive projects such as tar sands and arctic drilling – immediately. Also floated is the need for a global ban on new petrol and diesel car sales by 2035.

In the private sector, there were several stories around climate-focused shareholder votes during AGMs. HSBC passed a management resolution requiring an end to coal financing by 2040 and shareholder motions filed by climate activists have passed at US fossil fuel giants ExxonMobil and Chevron.

Here at edie, we hosted our Engagement Week 2021 editorial campaign to empowers sustainability professionals to achieve excellence when it comes to reporting and communications. We also launched our Countdown to COP26 Festival as the month came to a close.

JUNE: A mixed picture for climate at Carbis Bay’s G7 summit

Ahead of COP26, tackling the climate crisis was a key agenda item for world leaders and policymakers heading to Carbis Bay in Cornwall for the 2021 G7 Summit.

Before the Summit began, world leaders agreed on a joint commitment to ensure their power sectors reach net-zero in the 2030s, setting up for the economy-wide transition by 2050. There was also a new agreement to mandate climate reporting in line with the recommendations of the global Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). At the Summit, the nations formally agreed to a shared Nature Compact and reiterated the commitment for wealthy nations to provide $100bn in climate finance to developing countries annually. However, the final communique was not as strong on climate as many had hoped.

Businesses and investors had been placing particular pressure on world leaders on sustainability, in the build-up to the summit and during the actual programme.

Further north, the UK’s National Infrastructure Bank (NIB) launched in Leeds. The Treasury reiterated its promise for the NIB to funnel billions of pounds into the UK’s net-zero transition.

In the global sustainability space, the big story was the official launch of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). The Taskforce is aiming to corporate reporting and financial spending with science to alleviate nature-related risks.

JULY: Transport Decarbonisation Plan published

Ahead of Parliament’s summer recess in the UK, the long-awaited Transport Decarbonization Plan was published after delays of more than six months. There were fresh commitments to stop the sale of new petrol and diesel HGVs from 2040, but the aviation approach underwhelmed many, with a 2050 deadline and a reliance on alternative fuels and offsetting.

The National Food Strategy was also published. This is a white paper rather than an official policy which, at the time of writing, Ministers are yet to formally respond to. Trade bodies, farmers and green groups continue to press for clarity on new measures on public health, nutrition, biodiversity and emissions.

Meanwhile, in mainland Europe, the European Comission tabled a package of new policies aimed at delivering the promised 55% reduction in emissions by 2030. Called the ‘Fit for 55’ package, it included 13 legislative proposals in the first instance.

In green business, the Aldersgate Group named former Prime Minister Theresa May as its new chair and the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) confirmed that it is updating its strategic approach to increase the minimum ambition for corporate climate action from “well below 2C” to 1.5C.

AUGUST: In-person COP15 negotiations delayed (again)

August is usually a quieter month for sustainability stories, with many professionals and policymakers taking time off to enjoy the summer. There were, nonetheless, some major stories to cover in August for the edie team.

The biggest global story was the announcement of further delays to the in-person portion of the UN’s 15^th Convention on Biological Diversity. Originally due to take place in 2020 and subsequently postponed to October 2021, the conference in Kunming, China, was once again shelved. The first half has now taken place online, with the second half due to take place in-person in Spring 2022, in the hopes of nations agreeing a new framework to halt and reverse nature loss.

On a UK-specific note, the Hydrogen Strategy was published, outlining plans to unlock £4bn of investment in blue and green generation, storage and usage this decade. The Government also launched a consultation on a potential upcoming ban on plastic items like plates, cutlery and polystyrene cups.

SEPTEMBER: Climate Week NYC sets the stage for COP26

Following the summer break, the green economy’s voices grew louder as we entered September and the final stretch ahead of COP26.

The biggest event of the month was, as it usually is, Climate Week NYC, which was able to go ahead in a hybrid format. Highlights included a £12bn commitment to Scottish offshore wind from Orsted and a commitment from mobility platforms, including Uber and Arrival, to net-zero by 2035.

Across the pond, the UK Government launched its first green gilt and it was reported that investors placed a record £90bn in orders for the £10bn bond. The launch took the global issuance of sovereign green bonds past the £100bn mark. The UK has since launched a second, £6bn package.

OCTOBER: Australia and Saudi Arabia set ‘questionable’ net-zero visions, UK publishes raft of green policy paperwork

The last push before COP26 proved to be, as expected, a busy time for sustainability announcements in the fields of policy and business.

In policy, the UK Government published a whopping 21 net-zero related documents in the space of 72 hours in the week beginning 18 October. The overarching Net-Zero Strategy followed on from the Heat and Buildings Strategy, final report of the Treasury’s Net-Zero Review and a new ‘Roadmap to Sustainable Investing’. Read edie’s summary of these and other major announcements here.

Globally, policy was also moving swiftly. Australia and Saudi Arabia both announced net-zero targets for 2050, but respectively shunned the big questions on coal and oil.

In the private sector, new net-zero goals came from the likes of Sodexo, Bupa and the Zero Carbon Forum for hospitality. Mitsubishi Corporation announced a £12.6bn investment plan to support a new ambition to halve operational emissions this decade. Similarly, Rio Tinto set out a $7.5bn spending plan to support the same goal. There were also last-ditch calls from businesses to ensure the summit itself ran smoothly. The UK notably made last-minute changes to its ‘red list’ of countries amid Covid-19, but this was too late for many people, especially youth activists.  

Additionally, in a story that made tabloid headlines, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Earthshot Prize crowned its first winners. The Prize will allocate more than £50m to climate and nature solutions through to 2030.

NOVEMBER: COP26 dominates headlines

To write everything that happened in November in this roundup, it would need to double in length, at least. Following a disappointing (in climate terms) G20 meeting in Rome, world leaders and more than 39,000 others made their way to Glasgow for the most important UN climate summit since the Paris Agreement was ratified.

There were major new international deals on issues including methane, forests, cars, shipping and cleantech. There were climate protests of up to 100,000 people at a time. There was a new 2070 net-zero target from India, and countless new commitments from cities, regions, states and businesses.

On the flipside, there was criticism over accessibility, translation and the presence (or lack thereof) of indigenous leaders. There were watered-down pledges on coal, fossil fuel subsidies and international finance for loss and damage.

edie’s award-winning editorial team were on the ground at the Scottish Events Campus for all 12 official days of the summit, with content director Luke Nicholls leaving town shortly before the gavel came down on the final official agreement on the evening of 13 November.

You can read edie’s summary report for COP26, rounding up all of these stories and more, here.

As the month went on, so did edie’s Net-Zero November editorial campaign, with the momentum built ahead of COP26 and on the ground showing no signs of stopping. You can recap on that campaign here.

Image: UNFCCC

DECEMBER: IEA issues stark warning on coal as Omicron looms

As the year comes to a close, the rapid spread of the Omicron variant is dominating the headlines, with countries including France and Germany already introducing fresh mandates to curb the spread.

But the sustainability conversation is still going strong, with many in a reflective mood after a whirlwind year. Contrary to the celebratory mood at COP26 (perhaps because we are all seeking positivity as the challenges of the pandemic persist), here have been several stories in recent weeks reminding us of just how much work there still is to be done.

December 17 saw the IEA publishing a new analysis revealing that coal power generation did not decrease as much as anticipated in 2020, amid Covid-19, and is rebounding rapidly. Led by China and India, coal demand and production are likely to reach record highs in 2022. The IEA is not predicting a global peak by the end of 2024. And, in related news, HSBC’s plans for delivering the coal phase-out mentioned above (under ‘May’), proved underwhelming.

Similarly, one of the world’s largest polluters, ExxonMobil, was criticised by activist investors over updated emissions goals which remain majorly out of alignment with the Paris Agreement.

In policy, disappointment has been expressed over the blocking of the US’s Infrastructure Bill, dubbed the ‘Build Back Better Act’, and Biden’s decision to move ahead with a second round of auctions for crude oil reserves. In the UK, the Government has proposed new stress tests for oil and gas but campaigners claim the approach is still not net-zero-compatible. That move came after Siccar Point Energy put its controversial Cambo oil field project on hold following Shell’s exit.

On a brighter note, the EU is forging ahead with its Green Finance Taxonomy and has provided further Fit For 55 updates. Despite some criticism, these set a clear direction of travel for sectors including energy, buildings and transport.

edie will be publishing more content to help readers reflect on 2021 and re-energise themselves for 2022 in the coming days, before Christmas Day on Saturday.

Calling all edie readers: Take this end-of-year survey to support our mission in 2022

The edie content team are asking all edie users to take a 5-minute survey which will support us in our mission to empower sustainable business in 2022 and beyond. Responses will be anonymised and used to help us develop content and events that will best support you. Click here to access the survey.

Sarah George

edie’s Better Business Roundtable series is about making that change happen, from the top. This series of quarterly roundtable discussions will unite CEOs and board-level directors for much-needed dialogue around the future of sustainable business.

Our inaugural discussion of the series focuses on purpose, culture and impact. How can business be a force for good in the world and for ourselves? How can business leaders build a company culture which balances purpose and profit? And how can we have a more positive impact on our workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment?

Brought to you in association with edie’s Sustainability Leaders Forum and with assistance from Centrica Business Solutions, the first part of this new report series examines how businesses can redefine their purpose around the themes of COP26, climate action and the green recovery.

—CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE REPORT—

Over the coming months, edie will be publishing additional roundups of these bespoke roundtables.

In December, edie will host its second roundtable, focusing on business models, systems change and sustainable growth. Then, In February 2022, a third roundtable will take place (and subsequent write up report) focused on ambition, action and advocacy.

The final session will take place in early May and will focus on engagement, inspiration and collaboration.

edie staff