From carbon ambition to delivery

THE year 2021 was about ambition-setting. The number of companies establishing science-based targets for decarbonisation had strongly increased since 2015, but it rose dramatically – from 775 in 2020 to 2,166 in 2021 – in the run-up to COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

Now, 2022 and beyond will be about delivering on and monetising those ambitions. The world will eventually get to net zero—but the critical issue is getting there in time to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The urgency is real: Reaching net zero by 2050 requires halving emissions between 2020 and 2030.

It’s not surprising that many chief executive officers feel overwhelmed as they face the climate challenge. There’s no shortage of headlines highlighting the trillions of dollars it will take to green the economy. And the opportunities are endless, with possibilities to exponentially grow customer demand for green products.