Delivering the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Global warming, which is now developing more rapidly than ever, poses a formidable challenge to the earth, driven by the ever-growing increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from human activities. Achieving net zero emissions, namely reducing anthropogenic emissions and balancing the remaining GHGs with an equivalent amount of carbon removal, has therefore become an essential obligation for everyone, and actions should be taken immediately without hesitation.
A growing number of countries have committed to achieving net zero, following the call
from United Nations and other multilateral organizations. Building on previous efforts, the Paris Agreement, initiated by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2015, is a milestone. As of March 2021, 195 parties have signed the agreement to work together to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre- industrial levels.
A just transition to a net zero future is an important undertaking, requiring bold actions from all parties — and effort from corporates is definitely an important one. The UN Global Compact helps businesses to align with its Ten Principles and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and has published this whitepaper to plot a roadmap for corporates to reach net zero, facilitating the private sector to play its role in the pathway.
