COVID-19: 155 Global Corporations Jointly Urge World Leaders for Net-Zero Recovery

In the largest-ever UN-backed CEO-led climate advocacy effort, major multinationals reaffirm their own science-based commitments to achieving zero-carbon economy and call on governments to match their ambition.

The 155 global corporations, with a combined market capitalization of more than USD 2.4 trillion and representing more than 5 million employees, have signed a statement urging governments worldwide to align their COVID-19 economic aid and recovery efforts with the latest climate science.

In line with this a statement was issued jointly by the Science-Based Targets initiative, the UN Global Compact, and the We Mean Business coalition, all of which Carlsberg supports.

Commenting on the development, Lila Karbassi, Chief of Programmes at the UN Global Compact, and Science-Based Targets initiative Board Member said that “governments have a critical role to play by aligning policies and recovery plans with the latest climate science, but they cannot drive a systemic socio-economic transformation alone. To address the interconnected crises we face, we must work together as an international community to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.”

Karbassi further added, “as the largest ever UN-backed CEO-led climate advocacy effort, these companies are leading the way in driving ambitious science-based action and advocacy to help reduce vulnerability to future shocks and disasters.”

Brewing company Carlsberg Group, CEO, Cees ‘t Hart said “delivering on the Paris agreement requires strong collective action. As governments make plans in response to COVID-19 we encourage that climate action is part of recovery packages and plans. Carlsberg is working towards the Science-Based Targets outlined in our Sustainability Programme Together Towards ZERO and I am certain that if we all work together in partnership, we can ensure the transition to a fair, low-carbon world.“

Meanwhile, the company is already driving the decarbonisation of breweries and the value chain, through the targets set forth in Together Towards ZERO, the Group sustainability programme. Since 2015, it has reduced relative carbon emissions by 30 percent through an ongoing focus on efficiency, using 56 percent power from renewable energy and cutting coal usage by 89 percent.

Recently, Abu Dhabi-headquartered International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), a regional intergovernmental platform, have joined hands and will provide recommendations to governments on positioning energy transition as an integral part of the immediate response to the coronavirus crisis.

Further, the two organizations will seek to bolster the provision of low-cost, sustainable energy to prepare health systems for vaccine delivery and rebuild economies.