Taking climate change efforts to the next level

Back in January, Greta Thunberg spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. She remarked on the current global effort to reduce the impacts of climate change. Despite having “sparked a general awareness and a movement”, she feels “pretty much nothing has been done, since global emissions of CO2 have not reduced”.

While we’ve made massive strides in getting people involved, passionate, and committed to doing better by our planet, there still lies a discrepancy in bringing about significant, positive, scientific change. If we’re to achieve scientists’ goal of cutting global carbon emissions in almost half by 2030, we’ve still got a long way to go. How can we take climate change efforts to the next level?

Moving from conversation to action

Reaching the level of awareness surrounding environmental impact we are currently at has been no easy feat. It has been an uphill struggle to encourage conversation around the issue and agree on commitments to change our approach and significantly reduce our impact.

But opening up a conversation, while raising awareness, isn’t enough in and of itself. It’s important we now look at how to transfer these conversations into real-world action. It’s about more than switching to reusable straws or ditching single-use plastic. Instead, we must look at all facets of our lives. It’s about recognising every place where we can reduce our impact and making better choices for the future of our planet. 

Thunberg stated how, generally, “the science and the voice of young people is not at the centre of the conversation, and it needs to be”. By overlooking the alarming scientific facts, we end up somewhat distanced from the severity of the situation at hand. It’s the younger generation’s future we’re gambling on, and if science suggests we’re not doing enough, it’s everyone’s responsibility to do more.

What we can do as businesses

For businesses, it’s important we’re exceeding expectations, going above and beyond pre-defined requirements. Just getting by is no longer an option. Besides, in striving for more, we’re only doing ourselves a favour in the long-term. The pressure and expectation put on businesses about their impact is only going to keep mounting. So by getting ahead of the curve now, you’ll be securing yourself a greater competitive advantage.

To minimise your organisation’s contribution to climate change, it’s important to incorporate schemes and initiatives into the very fabric of your business. Taking the time to recognise every single place you could be doing better and making an ongoing commitment to keep putting the planet first.

It’s also essential we keep track of the difference we’re making. With full oversight of the environmental impact you’re having, you can shape future strategies and push your organisation to keep doing better. 

Getting everyone talking about their climate change efforts and the future of our planet was a difficult first step. But now we’re faced with an even bigger challenge. It’s time to create significant, long-lasting, scientific change that actually moves us in the right direction. 

At Impact, we make collecting, recording, and reporting on your organisation’s environmental impact simple. You can easily see and track the real-world outcomes of the initiatives you have in place and make sure you’re building a more sustainable future for your business and the planet. To find out more, feel free to get in touch with us on 0161 532 4752.