The overwhelming majority of world companies wish to ramp up their decarbonization efforts similtaneously procuring credible carbon credit to offset emissions they in any other case can’t get rid of.
That’s the headline conclusion of a serious new report from Conservation Worldwide and the We Imply Enterprise coalition of blue chip corporations, titled “Company Minds on Local weather Motion: The present considering, the important thing challenges, and the need to discover a method ahead.”
The report discovered that 92 p.c of enterprise leaders see long-term decarbonization as a precedence, with 89 p.c including that accountable use of carbon credit is essential to this technique.
“Carbon credit are confirmed device for instantly lowering emissions, whereas additionally pursuing longer-term decarbonization ambitions,” mentioned Mr. M. Sanjayan, chief govt officer, Conservation Worldwide. “This research affirms that private-sector patrons are certainly gravitating towards high-quality credit, putting a premium on transparency and accountability.”
Totally 100% of respondents said that they’ve or already are working in direction of local weather targets inside their group.
Nevertheless, the survey additionally confirmed that enterprise leaders share widespread issues over the credibility of some carbon offsets. Over a 3rd of respondents mentioned they have been actively investing within the voluntary carbon market, with simply over half contemplating it as a viable choice for assembly local weather targets. However 44 p.c voiced fears some carbon credit score tasks have been responsible of greenwashing, a 3rd mentioned they confronted challenges in evaluating carbon credit score high quality and 38 p.c complained {that a} lack of regulation and transparency have been a barrier to rising funding within the voluntary carbon market.
The report surveyed views on company local weather motion from enterprise managers engaged in sustainability from greater than 500 world organizations within the U.S., U.Ok. and Europe.
It discovered that companies acknowledge the pressing want to scale back greenhouse fuel emissions, with 79 p.c of respondents agreeing that science-based targets are “crucial” for preserving corporations on monitor to ship on their local weather objectives. Totally one hundred pc of respondents said that they’ve or already are working in direction of local weather targets inside their group.
Nevertheless, the survey additionally discovered that regardless of the general willingness from companies to scale back their emissions and assist hold world temperature rises under 1.5C, they nonetheless face challenges in assembly their decarbonization targets.
Over 85 p.c mentioned they see finances constraints, an absence of consistency and collaboration throughout their group, and technological constraints as “main limitations” to lowering emissions and assembly targets.
As such, many companies are adopting what the report authors describe as a “sure and” strategy, whereby they wish to put money into the voluntary carbon market alongside efforts to chop emissions at supply.
Over half of respondents — or 51 p.c — agreed that carbon credit will allow them to handle local weather impacts this decade whereas they work to immediately scale back their emissions within the long-term.
If 1,700 of the world’s highest emitting corporations compensated for simply 10% of their emissions by carbon market investments, greater than $1 trillion may very well be mobilized by 2030.
Almost 90 p.c of respondents agreed carbon credit are essential for companies to both compensate for emissions that they don’t seem to be but capable of get rid of, or to stability out residual emissions.
María Mendiluce, chief govt officer of We Imply Enterprise Coalition, mentioned that it was “encouraging” to listen to that corporations know they should each reduce their emissions and put money into nature past their worth chains.
“Now that there are requirements to make sure nature investments by carbon markets are impactful and accountable, we urge all corporations to scale up their efforts,” she added.
The carbon offset market stays controversial in some quarters, with campaigners warning {that a} lack of regulation and oversight means too many detrimental emissions tasks fail to ship promised emissions financial savings. Activists have additionally lengthy warned that some companies are utilizing investments in carbon credit to justify continued funding in polluting belongings and actions.
At this time’s report warns that addressing these long-standing issues can be crucial to unlocking a lot wanted local weather finance in detrimental emissions tasks over the following decade and past.
A current evaluation from the We Imply Enterprise coalition discovered that if 1,700 of the world’s highest emitting corporations compensated for simply 10 p.c of their emissions by carbon market investments, greater than $1 trillion may very well be mobilized by 2030.
