Fossil to Clean – What’s next for the campaign?
María Mendiluce
It was the hottest January on record, and February is also set to break temperature records. We mustn’t give up on the 1.5°C limit because every fraction of a degree of heating avoided matters to avoid dangerous tipping points and impacts for people and economies.
Instead, we should treat the news as an alarm ringing loudly, telling us what we need to do: make good on what was agreed at COP28 and tackle the main source of planet-warming emissions, burning fossil fuels.
To deliver on this goal, my team and I have met with companies, partners and board members to discuss how to take our Fossil to Clean campaign to the next level. We’ve heard resounding support for our three areas of focus: ensuring governments embed their COP28 commitments into nationally determined contributions (NDCs), advocacy for the policies needed at national level, and galvanizing business action in line with the Fossil to Clean principles.
There’s not a moment to lose. Governments are working on updating their NDCs, the national climate plans for the critical years from 2025-2035. These need to deliver on the commitments made at COP28 to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy and the transition away from fossil fuels this decade, in line with the science.The G7 Summit in June is a key moment to ensure the most-developed nations are setting the right policies and investments to get on track. We will be calling for your help to advocate for high ambition.
It’s going to be a turbulent year as many countries go to the polls – resulting in challenging debate, even misinformation, and possible shifts in government. Consistent corporate climate advocacy throughout this period is more important than ever if companies are to be able to deliver on their climate targets.
There are many opportunities to speak up in support of bold targets, policies and finance at a domestic and regional level:
- Companies operating in the EU can sign this corporate letter coordinated by CLG Europe for the EU to set a target of at least a 90% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.
- U.S. companies and investors have the chance to make the business case in Congress for strong policy towards the clean energy transition at Ceres LEAD on a Clean Economy this week.
Beyond advocating, companies can act within their own operations and value chains to drive progress from fossil to clean by taking concrete near-term actions that align with the Fossil to Clean principles.
I take heart from recent examples of how companies are decarbonizing across sectors. For instance, in our Signals of Change series, we have been tracking the story of H2 Green Steel’s project in northern Sweden. An enabling policy environment, strong demand signals from customers who have already placed orders, and a combination of public and private finance have brought the first operational large-scale green steel facility within touching distance.
We are always keen to hear about how companies are taking action to decarbonize in line with the principles – so please contact us if you have a case study to share. Through collaboration, ingenuity and courage, we can accelerate the energy transition in 2024.
Together, we will go from Fossil to Clean.