In response to recommendations of the High-Level Expert Group (HLEG) on the Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities report:
Teresa Anderson, Global Lead for Climate Justice at ActionAid International, said:
“We are pleasantly surprised to see that the new Net Zero recommendations announced today aim to force corporations to really transform and make the changes needed to keep the planet safe. It’s going to make it harder for them to do the greenwashing they had imagined possible when they jumped on the Net Zero bandwagon.
“Corporations have long hidden behind Net Zero announcements and carbon offsetting initiatives, with very little intention of really doing the hard work of transforming and cutting emissions. These recommendations will aim to keep them in line and close any loopholes.
“Ultimately these recommendations will help us sort the wheat from the chaff and tell us which of these Net Zero targets are serious and which are just window dressing.
Kelly Stone, Senior Policy Analyst of ActionAid USA, said:
“These recommendations reflect the reality that carbon offsets cannot be used to ensure the world’s temperature does not go above 1.5 degrees and that much more is needed to bring about real change. Our collective focus must be on rapidly reducing emissions from fossil fuels, agribusiness, and other polluting sectors instead of the smokescreen of carbon offsets and net zero targets.
“The only way to reverse the escalating climate crisis is by using a fair shares approach, one that centers equity and recognizes the deep responsibilities of wealthy developed countries. What has been put forward today must be seen as the bare minimum for any climate commitments. Any corporation or government wishing to be seen as a climate champion needs a fair share plan to transition away from fossil fuel use without relying on scams or fantasy to do the work for the next decade.”
ENDS
To contact the ActionAid press office, email media-enquiries@actionaid.org.uk or contact Hannah Gurney, Media Lead, at +44 7592302293.
Notes to Editor
About ActionAid
ActionAid is a global federation working with more than 15 million people living in more than 40 of the world’s poorest countries. We want to see a just, fair, and sustainable world in which everybody enjoys the right to a life of dignity and freedom from poverty and oppression. We work to achieve social justice and gender equality and to eradicate poverty.