Mahesh Ramanujam is the cofounder, President and CEO of Global Network for Zero.
As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has confirmed, our world is now facing a “rapidly closing window of opportunity” for addressing global climate change. More troubling still is the meager rate at which the organizations most responsible for planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions—including those among the private sector—are taking the unequivocally necessary actions.
Shifting Priorities
The number of publicly traded companies either beginning to issue standardized environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance disclosures or staking their reputations against professed climate change mitigation and adaptation goals is growing. This gives reason for optimism, but there’s room for improvement yet. Not only do a paltry share of professionals have confidence in their companies’ ESG reporting capabilities, but only a handful of companies’ disclosed climate transition plans are considered credible according to the non-profit CDP.
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