The Way to Net Zero

In the midst of two crises - the pandemic and climate change, it’s easy to forget the promises that goverments made re the latter - to bring carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 - that’s thirty years away. It seems a long time except we also promised to be half way there by 2030 - and we are not even close.

I heard Isabel Turcotte, The Pembina Institute’s Director of federal policy speak at a seminar of the University of Toronto’s Department of the Environment late last year - and she has recently written a good article for Corporate Knights, outlining some principles that the corporate world needs to follow - reminding us that goals are not solely about government initiatives.

• Carbon budgets are necessary to measure progress. We have to know where we stand and whether we are making progress or just talking

• We have to start early. It’s no point in having a long term goal and delaying putting it into action.

• We have to effect the reductions by using all the tools at hand - not just one.

• Corporation s have to work together and initiate policy - Turcotte terms it “turning up the heat.

  Good reminders.