Environmental stewardship is never more top of mind than on Earth Day. It continues to be a unifying event each year, with over 1 billion people in 192 countries participating in events, but while the world makes progress toward cutting carbon emissions, there is still much work to be done. While nearly all countries across the world pledged to reduce emissions under the 2015 Paris Agreement, greenhouse gas emissions and global temperatures continue to rise.
The main goal of the Paris accord set to limit global warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F), which would avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Unfortunately, current global climate pledges are not ambitious enough to avoid that from happening. Current trends indicate that the world could hit that temperate increase by as soon as 2030 – unless action is taken to create more aggressive targets.
The United States is positioning itself to be a leader in the fight against climate change. With the U.S. reentering the Paris Climate Agreement on January 20, 2021, President Biden is committing the United States to ambitious emissions reduction targets – pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50%–52% below the nation’s 2005 emissions levels by 2030. The U.S. is demonstrating its leadership and recommitment to the Paris Agreement not only by pivoting the nation’s energy infrastructure to one that will prioritize adoption of cleaner technologies to facilitate climate action, but by convening a virtual global climate summit on Earth Day to encourage other countries to do the same.
This Summit, named the Leaders Summit on Climate, will encourage countries to make stronger commitments under the Paris Agreement, and with up to 40 world leaders expected to be in attendance, it will be a key milestone ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November. The Summit will accentuate the urgency and economic benefits of stronger climate commitments. Here are some expected key themes of the Summit:
- Reignite global efforts to reduce emissions – to keep the 1.5°C (2.7°F) Paris Agreement target within reach.
- Drive the net-zero transition by mobilizing public and private sector financing and “build a resilient future,” according to an official.
- Emphasize the economic benefits of a clean energy infrastructure, such as job creation and positive community impact.
- Encourage clean, innovative technologies that will transform our energy infrastructure for the future, reduce emissions, and create economic opportunities.
The 2021 Earth Day theme of “Restore Our Earth” could not more accurately reflect the current state of our climate crisis and the actions that we need to take. This year’s theme examines “natural processes, emerging green technologies and innovative thinking that can restore the world's ecosystems.” It up to each and every one of us to Restore Our Earth, and we all have a role to play in how we address climate change.
Centrica’s own journey to net zero
At Centrica Business Solutions, we take our role as a leading provider of energy for home and organizations seriously. Tackling climate change is the most important issue facing our society today, and the energy sector is at the forefront of the need to respond. We want to shape a lower-carbon future by enabling our customers to use energy smarter, more efficiently, and more sustainably – not just on Earth Day, but every day of the year.
We plan to lead by example. Our parent company, Centrica plc, embarked on a journey in 2007 to cut the internal carbon footprint of its property, fleet and travel by 20% by 2015. We not only met this target in 2015 – we exceeded it, achieving a 27% reduction. That same year, we committed to further reductions of 20% by 2025 against existing levels – surpassing this target only four years later in 2018, leading us to the creation of our Responsible Business Ambitions in 2019 to reduce our internal carbon footprint and customer emissions in line with the Paris Climate Agreement.
As the need to accelerate our collective journey to net zero grows, Centrica has once again responded in 2021 with new ambitions for our business and customer support with our People and Planet Plan. We are accelerating our commitment to be a net zero business by 2045 (40% reduction by 2034) – five years ahead of the national deadline. In addition, we are committing to helping our customers be net zero by 2050 (28% reduction by 2030). By reducing our own emissions (scope 1 and 2) and those of our customers (scope 3) we align with science-based targets and the actions required to limit global warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F).
