In recent years, businesses and governments have raced to show their commitment to net-zero. The result: more than two thirds of global GDP has a target to bring carbon emissions to net-zero by mid-century. But, despite these targets, action and progress to align with a 1.5°C climate pathway remains elusive. There is now a shared understanding of the current situation, a shared agreement on the goal, but the world is caught in the ‘messy middle’ trying to get from the former to the latter in time.
A lot of focus is on the need for policy change to remove the barriers and make it easier for organizations to deliver on their net-zero commitments. And while policy change remains crucial, there is a lot of action that can be taken now to accelerate change even with current policy frameworks and market incentives. From making energy savings and improving efficiencies, to using the most effective climate technologies and more.
The opening day roundtable invites business, policy and NGO leaders to explore the actions they can take as they navigate the ‘messy middle’. In particular, the discussion will focus on the potential of energy demand intensity reduction and technology to drive major change that makes sense today.