What is corporate climate change?

Study findings on corporate climate action have been bleak, showing that the private sector hasn’t been proactive in mitigating its carbon footprint. However, it’s worth noting that there has since been a considerable gap in the research in this aspect.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) recent AR6 Synthesis Report on climate change, urgent action is required to limit temperature rise to at most 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and thus avoid the most catastrophic impacts. The report specifically outlined the role the private sector can play in addressing this issue.

Businesses can contribute by adopting comprehensive emission reduction strategies aligned with the IPCC’s targets, which include transitioning to renewable energy sources, implementing energy-efficient technologies and minimising carbon footprints across supply chains and operations.

Additionally, the private sector has the capacity to drive innovation and investment in low-carbon technologies, such as renewable energy, energy storage and sustainable transportation. By scaling up these solutions, companies can accelerate the global transition to a low-carbon economy.

At GHD, we take climate change and corporate responsibility to heart. This means we undertake initiatives and integrate sustainable practices throughout our operations such as reducing our carbon footprint and promoting renewable energy as part of our commitment to address the climate crisis.

We have committed to set a net-zero greenhouse gas emission through the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi). An online news article reported that GHD will work with SBTi to set a net-zero-based target, as well as a near-term science-based target, to help reduce value chain emissions in alignment with 1.5°C pathways. SBTi is the leading worldwide standard for establishing ambitious corporate emissions reduction targets based on the most recent climate research. It is a collaboration between the United Nations Worldwide Compact, CDP, the World Resources Institute and the Worldwide Fund for Nature.

“GHD’s commitment to sustainability is fundamentally aligned with our company’s purpose: that together with our clients, we create lasting community benefit,” says Ashley Wright, CEO, GHD. Two years ago, we officially set a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2025. Read about this initiative here: GHD commits to set net-zero targets - GHD

To learn more about how we can help you address your decarbonisation challenges, visit the GHD Advisory page.

Articles referenced

^{Boehm, et al. 2023, ‘10 Big Findings from the 2023 IPCC Report on Climate Change’, retrieved May 18, 2023, from https://www.wri.org/insights/2023-ipcc-ar6-synthesis-report-climate-change-findings}

^{Coen, et al. 2022, ‘Are corporate climate efforts genuine? An empirical analysis of the climate ‘talk–walk’ hypothesis’, In Business Strategy and the Environment, retrieved May 18, 2023, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/bse.3063}