Climate change and global warming is a topic already under wide discussion and greenhouse gases play an important role in this issue.
Although this is a natural phenomenon, human activities are responsible for almost all the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the past 150 years.
The main causes of a climate crisis include the burning of fossil fuels for energy, intensive farming, and the removal of forests and trees to make room with other ends.
In the last 100 years, the average temperature on Earth has warmed by 1°C. In our daily lives we certainly do not notice much difference, but this temperature increase has a significant impact on the planet.
It is essential to join forces to combat this problem. However, the collective efforts that have been made are not enough to reverse this problem.
Therefore, many companies have committed to addressing their own actions and taking the first steps.
Companies in the oil, gas, power generation, automotive, food, and financial sectors are demonstrating that acting on climate is good for the Earth and is also a smart business strategy.
Shell, for example, recognizes that it needs to not only reduce operational emissions, but also emissions associated with the use of its products. To that end, it launched a program in 2017 that aims to reduce its net carbon footprint. BP has invested in StoreDot, an ultra-fast battery charger for electric vehicles.
Car manufacturers have also joined these initiatives and pledge to produce more electric vehicles and improve efficiency in the manufacture of their products. General Motors has pledged to use 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. Toyota also plans to eliminate CO2 emissions by 2050 in its operations and supply chain, and to integrate recycled materials in the production of new vehicles.
Companies in the food industry are also looking in this direction. Nestlé, for example, has set up a 3-billion-euro investment line over the next five years to reduce its carbon footprint. The Swiss multinational is committed to achieving neutrality by 2050 and expects to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Microsoft is also already a best practice example that has committed to reducing operational emissions by 75% by 2030 but has been operating as 100% carbon neutral since 2012.
Reducing carbon and greenhouse gas emissions would be much more difficult if voluntary corporate action did not exist. Business plays a crucial role in a society, and the fact that they take initiatives to create their own policies makes them key players in the fight against the climate crisis. We all need to unite, be accountable and adopt measures that help in this fight against the climate crisis.
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