At a recent United Nations Climate Ambition Summit, the UN Secretary-General - António Guterres urged countries to declare climate emergencies. Leaders expressed that the world is still not on track to fulfill the 2015 Paris climate agreement even though multiple commitments have been made by governments and corporations in the past. This highlights the problem that there is an immediate need to take action on reducing carbon emissions and combat climate change and it must be done now.
Climate change is an existential threat to our way of life, with carbon dioxide emissions being the biggest contributor to a warming planet. Global supply chains produce large amounts of carbon—from CO2 created during manufacturing, through fossil fuels burned in transportation, to emissions from storage and distribution.Governments and major corporations are taking notice. We’re seeing an increasing focus on legislation and enforcement, and major commitments from industry leaders to significantly reduce greenhouse gasses. Consumers are paying attention too. Activists are highlighting businesses and sectors contributing to climate change and encouraging consumers to boycott the worst offenders—customers are figuring environmental impact into their purchasing decisions.As a business that relies on the supply chain, you need a strategy to deal with carbon emissions. From tracking the size of your carbon footprint to reducing the impact, taking action now is critical. We’ll briefly cover the overall impact of climate change, then focus on CO2 in the supply chain, laws and corporate commitments, and what you can do to sniff out and reduce your own carbon footprint.It’s time to up your Green Supply Chain Management (GCSM) game.
Why the World Needs to Reduce CO2 Now
The carbon cycle has existed for millions of years, with life on earth naturally producing and absorbing CO2. Unfortunately, we started to tip the scales in the industrial revolution—burning fossil fuels that pump CO2 into the atmosphere faster than it can be recaptured. This increase in greenhouse gasses results in higher temperatures that have knock-on impacts—extreme weather, loss of productive land, climate refugees, increased economic disruption, and many other issues.The last time carbon emissions were as high as they are now was over 3 million years ago when the world was several degrees warmer. Scientists know that back then this was due to increased volcanic and other activities and that now it’s due to human causes.Although 2020 saw lower overall carbon emissions due to reduced demand caused by the pandemic, the overall, long-term trend shows we still need to do more. As a species, we must take action, and businesses need to lead in reducing CO2 output and the carbon footprint.
