Last month, President Biden announced a bold acceleration of U.S. climate goals with a new commitment to slash greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. Encouraging the move were hundreds of major corporations, who signed a letter to the President beforehand imploring him to establish a new tone on climate.
“If you raise the bar on our national ambition, we will raise our own ambition to move the U.S. forward on this journey,” wrote a group of more than 400 businesses and investors, including giants like Apple, Verizon, and Unilever (not to mention mid-sized companies like the one I lead).
拜登说他会尽力而为。现在是时候让公司做同样的事情了。
对于所有签署了这封信的公司，面对气候危机，还有更多的沉默和在场外。实际上，到2030年，70％的全球财富500家公司仍然没有有意义的气候计划，旨在实现或能够实现净零排放的途径scientists say climate change could be irreversible.
We call it a climate crisis, but it’s also a crisis for business. As a CEO operating in a world already facing destabilizing climate impacts, it amazes me that so many companies haven’t planned for a future that is already here. Inaction presents a direct and perilous threat to the world’s most valuable companies and their shareholders—not to mention the rest of us.
After all, in the year 2021, if you don’t have a climate plan, you don’t have a business plan.
This isn’t a political talking point. While too many of the world’s biggest companies still lack meaningful climate plans,30％的人将气候行动作为业务（与去年相比增加了三分之一）。他们的领导者对那些明智地选择参与新的清洁能源经济的人（由创新的新产品和新兴市场，清洁能源的不断出现的价格，巨大的能源，巨大的能源驱动，巨大的能源驱动，巨大的能源，巨大的能源，巨大的能源，巨大的能源，巨大的能源，他们的领导者对前所未有的底线增长机会敏锐而乐观。效率和对气候引起的破坏的弹性。
Investors know smart investments when they see them. Long-term investment in aggressive climate action represents one of the best ways for large companies to create long-term shareholder value,在中国等竞争对手中重新获得无与伦比的经济实力的立场, and build a valuable reputation for supporting prosperous, healthy communities grounded in millions of new jobs in the clean energy sector.
But the door of opportunity for climate planning—and the economic winnings that bold action will generate—is closing fast. As we say in the beer industry, this is the “last call.” So how can businesses catch up?
First, investors—just like customers—need to double down on recent momentum toward making climate action a chief funding criterion, with a special emphasis on reserving capital for companies that have established a strong 2030 climate action plan. And let’s start asking those who don’t: Why not? If the clear business case for addressing climate change doesn’t break through, a surge in outside pressure just might.
Second, just as we need a 2030 climate plan from every large business, we need vocal advocacy from businesses to get the job done for the nation as a whole. It’s exciting to see the Biden administration setting an ambitious climate target, rallying world leaders to follow suit, and倡导联邦对气候解决方案的投资，这是实现强大而公平的经济恢复的重要途径。但是，除非国会能够通过账单来对改变我们的经济并帮助我描述的业务增长机会进行大量投资，否则这并不意义不大。
Business leaders have influence in Congress—especially those who lead the nation’s largest companies. I urge major corporations to advocate for their own long-term interests by encouraging members of both parties to pass an infrastructure package packed with climate solutions, good-paying jobs, and strong equity measures to account for the disproportionate impacts of climate change on marginalized communities. Here, again, we need to start asking companies who aren’t willing to pick up the phone: Why not?
(Yes, this means my fellow CEOs need to accept new federal policy as it is critical in creating systemic change. But the door is wide open for us to play a vital role in its development and ensure new rules work as intended and promote fairness among leaders and laggards alike.)
第三，我们需要企业与联邦行动同时加速净零的道路，而不是等待它。现在是时候让70％的全球财富500家公司的领导人缺乏2030年的气候计划来拥抱令人难以置信的机会，这是一个新的经济，以及可能致命的速度太慢的潜在致命风险 - 并使气候行动成为其业务。现在。在酒吧把他们赶出去之前。
Steve Fechheimer is the CEO ofNew Belgium Brewing。