Resources to Help Entrepreneurs, Business Leaders and Investors Support and Take Climate Action
Climate change is one of the largest problems humanity has ever faced. Meaningfully addressing it and building systems that heal rather than harm the Earth will require collaborative efforts from large, multi-sector coalitions, the likes of which we have never seen before. From business leaders and investors to government officials and nonprofit leaders, we all must play a role.
For our part, SOCAP has been sharing climate action and climate justice resources and insights from our community throughout Earth Month this April. We pulled these resources from contributed content, podcasts, and our events, which bring investors and entrepreneurs together around the topics of taking climate action, building the impact economy, and more. Here, we have compiled several of these resources to help investors, entrepreneurs, and business leadership take steps forward in their journey to become more environmentally responsible.
Funding Innovations in Climate Change Adaption for Those Most Impacted by the Climate Crisis
Globally, innovation in and funding for solutions designed to fight the effects of climate change remain concentrated in developed markets. Yet it is populations in Africa — in particular farmer and fisher communities — who will bear the brunt of the crisis, and remain the backbone of the wider economy. A series of Lightning Bolts from SOCAP20 bring together the funding community and experts in designing climate adaptation solutions to discuss how we can bring innovations to these communities.
Read more and watch the session.
Achieving a Net Zero Economy: Turning Commitments into Action
Against the backdrop of a presidential administration and Congress that are more receptive to climate action, the United States’s re-entry into the Paris Climate Agreement, and rising activism (especially from youth-led organizations) around creating a healthier, more sustainable planet, net zero business initiatives are increasingly salient. “Net zero” means reducing greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible while balancing remaining emissions with carbon removal to achieve “climate neutrality.” Forward-thinking companies are making the shift now to becoming climate-positive, regenerative businesses — or businesses that are taking more greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere than they are contributing — and be competitive in an increasingly decarbonized economy.
Investing in Climate Critical Technologies to Address Climate Change Head On, a SOCAP20 Virtual Session
To combat climate change and avoid the worst impacts of the crisis, we need to completely overhaul our economic and societal systems while simultaneously addressing environmentally harmful human behaviors and activities. While this is a daunting challenge, it also presents a huge opportunity to create a more equitable, just economy that considers the interests of all stakeholders. By centering climate justice and regenerative innovation, we can create a more resilient economy and ensure our planet is healthy for generations to come.
Read more and watch the session.
Directing Capital to Regenerative Solutions to Fight Climate Change and Strengthen Stakeholder Capitalism
The grave threat of climate change has led many entrepreneurs and investors to find ways to use their resources, capital, and businesses to fight climate change and transition to a system of stakeholder capitalism that heals rather than harms Earth’s natural resources. With intentionality, ushering in a more regenerative system can be done while building wealth and protecting the planet’s most vulnerable workers from job losses.
Read more and watch the session.
How Investors and Businesses Can Tackle Food Waste and Take Climate Action: A Report from ReFED
When it comes to solving intractable global problems, the efforts of philanthropy, impact investing, or business solutions alone won’t be successful. We’ll need cross-sector approaches that include innovative collaborations — like the roadmap laid out by ReFED on how to tackle food waste. ReFED, a coalition of more than 30 business, nonprofit, foundation, and government leaders, is developing solutions to turn food waste prevention, recovery, and recycling into untapped, data-driven opportunities to create jobs, alleviate hunger, and protect the environment — all while stimulating a new multibillion-dollar market opportunity.
Why and How to Make Your Business Sustainable in the Shift to Stakeholder Capitalism
The term “sustainability” often gets swept aside as an abstract, jargon-laden concept. This dismissal is a huge loss for companies today, as many could benefit from the work behind the word. In its most basic sense, sustainability is a set of values that positively affects the way a business operates every day, both within the company and in the community at-large.
