One in five of the world’s 2,000 largest publicly listed companies have now committed to a “net-zero” emissions target to help tackle climate change. The companies, representing nearly $14 trillion in sales, have promised to cut their carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 or sooner for some companies. Winrock International, a top-tier international development non-profit, is pleased to organize a 60 min panel to discuss “how net-zero programs can achieve climate and sustainable development goals”. The implicit argument here being, not all net-zero programs are created equal and it takes rigorous, science-based, and transparent approaches to ensure that climate and sustainable development goals are being fully realized. In addition, pathways to achieving global net zero emissions must be inclusive not just of a range of actors, and their priorities, but also of a range of views, including in particular those relating to moral and ethical arguments on climate justice.
1) Winrock’s expert (Tim Pearson) will begin with a presentation (10 mins) on
a) potential of leveraging international carbon reduction/removal projects for meeting corporate net-zero goals, and
b) ESG and financial risks related to carbon reduction/removal projects based in developing countries.
2) This will be followed by a presentation (10 mins) by Nestle on
a) corporate net-zero strategy and implementation plans
b) lessons or insights related to partnering with other stakeholders in the process.
3) This will be followed by a presentation by Netflix (10 mins) on
a) strategies for investing in nature-based solutions, and
b) curating a high-quality offset portfolio
4) Finally, a Winrock expert (Steve Brunn) will guide a panel discussion on how the corporations with net-zero ambitions can leverage expertise and experience of non-profits, technology providers and impact investors. (15 mins)
5) The session will end with a moderated Q&A session with the audience. (15 mins)
