3 trends in energy and sustainability for 2020

dipikakapurdipa

Was a decisive year for energy and sustainability worldwide. Although emissions continued to rise, the year saw a record number of CEOs, activists, consumers, governments and investors demanding greater action on the growing climate crisis. At the same time, companies purchased historic volumes of renewable energy and the European Union approved its Green Deal, positioning the continent to become the first to achieve carbon neutrality. Heading into the new year, the terrible bushfires in Australia catalyzed the movement towards a cleaner climate in 2020. If the momentum built up over the past 12 months is any indication, 2020 could be another record year for corporate energy and sustainability. Here are three trends to watch. 1. The new standard will be net zero emissions Setting corporate targets for emissions reductions is nothing new. More than a decade ago, leaders like Walmart and Google were already pushing for large-scale action on climate and carbon. Google. 3 trends in energy and sustainability for 2020 Over time, energy and emissions targeting has become more nuanced, moving away from generic promises in favor of more concrete targets. In 2019, the race toward climate action took a dramatic turn as a growing number of players on the world stage began setting carbon-neutral or zero-emissions goals.

Some examples: In the US following Xcel Energy's December 2018 announcement that it would reach net-zero emissions by mid-century, other utilities (including Duke Energy and DTE) followed suit. During Climate Week, fashion leader Kering and mega-retailer Amazon, among others, shared dramatic carbon reduction pledges, including Amazon's announcement that it will purchase 100,000 electric vehicles. 77 countries and more than 100 cities formalized a net zero America Cell Phone Number List pledge during the UN Climate Summit. These commitments were precursors to the European Green Deal and emerging legislation that would pave the way for US carbon neutrality by 2050. What it means for business: Legislative progress and global competitive pressure mean that scrutiny of corporate climate goals is higher than ever. And it's not just promises that are important. Companies have to follow their objectives with demonstrable actions to maintain leadership positions and deliver to consumers. If your company doesn't yet have a carbon reduction goal, 2020 is the year for decisive action.




Get ahead by proactively setting and announcing your goals. 2. Inverter pressure will increase While investors have warmed to the potential risks associated with climate change for decades, several investor actions in 2019 pointed to fundamental changes in the market. This momentum culminated in BlackRock's recent announcement that it had joined the Climate 100+ (committing that group's total assets of more than $35 trillion) and CEO Larry Fink's annual letter detailing BlackRock's commitments to put sustainability at the forefront of your investment approach. But investors are just the tip of the iceberg. Recent research by Schneider Electric and GreenBiz of nearly 300 energy and sustainability professionals indicates that companies do this because it also has other benefits: improved brand reputation (52%), competitive advantage (46%), pressure of customers (41%) and senior leadership mandate (37%).