In the 2009 McKinsey Global CO2 abatement curve, they identify 42 initiatives that reduce carbon whilst having a negative cost associated with them, i.e. you save money whilst saving carbon, what some would call the “low hanging fruit” or the “no-brainer”.
Together these initiatives would account for an estimated 12 gigatonnes of CO2 annually, more than the IPCC are estimating we need to reduce our global emissions by in 2050 to avoid dangerous climate change. Around 2 gigatonnes of these are energy efficiency initiatives controlled by the corporate sector, or 1/5th of the estimated carbon savings needed by 2050.
However, as we all know, we are making slow progress in this area despite it not being dependent on a policy framework. There are a number of reasons why this is not happening:
- These initiatives are competing for capital against core business activities, which will often have a higher ROI and which add to the top line.
- The business case is not being made correctly. Finance wouldn’t normally be a “sexy” theme for Green Mondays, but in this context we think it’s important. We are going to devote October’s session to methods that you can employ to unlock your financing problems and present your main board with win-win solutions.
For more details contact 020 7174 4000
Event Speakers
