London Climate Action Week is upon us. Before the deluge of 300 in-person and virtual events take place, it’s necessary to take stock of how much action UK organisation’s have undertaken in the fight against climate change. (Spoiler) its not good news…
First, let’s give a shout-out to London Climate Action Week (LCAW). This festival is a mecca for all sustainability professionals, climate tech organisations and passionate individuals. It’s a hotbed for climate-focused discussions and raising awareness for the struggle against climate change – from mitigating impacts to financing the global climate transition. It’s an exceptional event and everyone should attend as many events as possible.
However, is this just a climate bubble? How do these brilliant talks and conversations get communicated to the UK’s largest polluters and wider organisations? How much action have they generated?
LCAW is action with a clear directive: For the UK to meet the 1.5-degree warming limit outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement – the legally binding international treaty signed by the UK government.
Many scientists argue that we have long surpassed the ability to achieve this and are on track for temperature increases as high as 3 degrees. So the question is, are UK organisations committing to enough action to hit these targets?
The short answer is no. The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the largest non-governmental collator of carbon emissions data, stated that only 62% of UK companies* are in line with this target.
Adding to this stark news, the rate of decarbonisation by UK organisations has slowed by a third for scope 1 & 2 emissions and by 70% for scope 3 emissions. This shows that, not only is action absent for 38% of UK organisations, but for the 62% that have started, they’re running out of steam.
With the lack of current meaningful legislation in the UK, we can expect that any increase in action to reduce emissions will come from events such as LCAW. So, let’s hope it manages to escape the carbon-climate bubble and connect with UK organisations, spurring further carbon reduction action. If it does, we may see the UK become less of a laggard on the carbon reduction stage and be at the forefront of discussions around the transition to a sustainable future.
– Freddie Ward, Technical Manager
*’Press Release: Pace of Decarbonisation by UK Businesses falls by a third, with businesses set to miss Paris targets’, Bain & Company and CPD (April 19, 2024)
