The private sector could cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 3.7 tonnes of CO₂and per year until 2030, the equivalent of 60% of the total emissions cuts promised by countries at COP21 in Paris. The information is from “The Business End of Climate Change”, a study by We Mean Business  released in June of this year on Business & Climate Summit, in London.

The report, an English version of which can be downloaded here , analyzed five global initiatives to combat climate change, led by the business sector: Science Based Targets, EP100, RE100, Zero Deforestation and the Low Carbon Technology Partnership initiative (LCTPi). This is the first study to quantify the contribution that the private sector can make to cutting greenhouse gas emissions sent into the atmosphere.

The data present in the report represent a kind of contribution from the business for climate action – similar to the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (National Determined Contributions– iNDC), promised by countries in international climate negotiations last December.

Cuts in private sector emissions could amount to around 10 billion tonnes of carbon equivalent per year. We Mean Business estimates that the impact could be the equivalent of more than a thousand coal-fired power plants permanently being taken out of service. To this end, the organisation stresses that economic and political support will be essential for all companies to take action and consequently the impact on greenhouse gases could be even greater.

We Mean Business

We Mean Business is a global coalition of leaders who are revolutionizing their business practices, creating great opportunities in the face of the climate changes we have faced in recent decades. These leaders recognize the transition to a low-carbon economy as the only way to ensure sustainable economic growth, capable of bringing prosperity to everyone. The campaign is led in Latin America by CEBDS (Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development), the result of the global alignment with the WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development) and the partnership with the largest authorities and institutions that advocate on the climate change panel.

CEBDS has a fundamental role in reinforcing the narrative within its value chain and in disseminating, on its networks, the fundamental solutions and proposals that the We Mean Business coalition advocates. By adhering to its main commitments — Renewable Electric Energy, Ending Deforestationin the Production Chain; Carbon Pricing — creates true competitive advantages for businesses, in addition to affirming a proactive leadership position regarding climate change.