National Climate Change Awareness Day, on March 16, is a warning about the problems generated by the climate crisis and the need for collective action and efforts. Increasing the use of renewable energy and using natural resources responsibly are some important actions in the search for a solution to the problem.
Climate change is today one of the main drivers of risk and opportunity for companies. Most companies operating in Brazil have already understood this and are taking action to address the problem. This is the main conclusion of the study.How companies have been contributing to the Paris Agreement', carried out by CEBDS.
“There is a clear business case for investing in solutions that contribute to the decarbonization of the economy,” said Marina Grossi, president of CEBDS. Many companies have already realized this and are directing investments into research and development of low-carbon solutions, with the total amount allocated for this purpose in 2018 being US$1.4T 7.7 billion.
Climate change as a risk factor
According to the World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report 2019, climate change appears directly or indirectly associated with three of the five most likely global risks and four of the five global risks with the greatest negative impact.
“Since efficient management necessarily depends on the ability to measure, by establishing a financial metric for climate risks, companies can adopt strategic measures towards the new economy and gain competitiveness,” said Lauro Marins, Executive Director of CDP Latin America.
“The results of the companies revealed in this study demonstrate that tackling climate change represents more opportunities than risks for Brazil. In summary, it is financially more advantageous to make investments to materialize these opportunities than to manage the negative impacts of climate change”, explained Marina Grossi.
Companies and carbon pricing
Carbon pricing is one of the main mechanisms of public and corporate policies aimed at keeping the increase in the Earth's average temperature within the range of 1.5°C to 2°C above pre-industrial levels, a central objective of the Paris Agreement, by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this system, market instruments help countries and companies meet targets for reducing GHG emissions. Governments assign a cost to emissions through regulation of instruments such as the carbon market and/or taxation of emissions.
Goals for the Life We Want with the SDGs
You Goals for the Life We Want, launched by CEBDS, offer the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an engaging way.
The publication provides an entry point for any government, NGO or business in any sector to link the SDGs to people’s lives and activities and communicate effectively about simple collective actions that people can take.
Brazilian Business Commitment to Water Security
O Brazilian Business Commitment to Water Security, carried out by CEBDS, in addition to consolidating the effective contribution of Brazilian businesspeople on the topic, will enable Brazil to emerge on the scene of major global water agendas and milestones, as a protagonist in the implementation of innovative solutions.
CEBDS and the signatory companies of the Commitment seek to establish a national benchmark for the effective contribution of companies to water security in Brazil. The objective is to provide transparency and visibility to information on actions, projects, goals and commitments undertaken by the signatory companies.
Brazilian Business Commitment to Biodiversity
O Brazilian Business Commitment to Biodiversity, CEBDS, aims to emphasize the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem services for companies, as well as the fundamental role that they can play in the conservation and sustainable use of these services based on sustainable consumption and production patterns.
The Commitment is based on the premise of acting in line with national and global strategic biodiversity plans, seeking to contribute to their objectives and goals.
The performance of companies
Natura and the commitment to the climate
Natura has been 100% carbon neutral since 2007. The company accounts for all its actions, from the extraction of ingredients used to manufacture products to their disposal, in addition to other activities, such as travel. The company's focus is to reduce direct and indirect emissions throughout the chain. The company reduced 908 thousand tons of CO2e, the equivalent of the pollution generated by 156 thousand car trips around the Earth.
BNDES and the Climate Fund
The Climate Fund is one of the instruments of the National Policy on Climate Change and aims to guarantee resources to support and finance projects that aim to mitigate climate change. The Climate Fund Program has subprograms, including the Sustainable Cities and Climate Change Program, which supports actions that increase the sustainability of cities and reduce the consumption of energy and natural resources.
