The government must mandate companies to create net-zero plans

The government must legislate big businesses to publish detailed plans on how they will reduce their emissions, says WWF.

WWF examined public net-zero commitments by FTSE 100 companies and found that their plans to curb emissions fall far short of what is needed to tackle climate change. 

Without action, WWF estimates that the companies are on a pathway of 3C of warming, which if left unmanaged, would be catastrophic for people and wildlife. 

The research warns that the current reliance on a voluntary approach by the private sector is not enough. 

To date, 29% of the UK’s biggest businesses still haven’t made any commitment to reach net-zero and only 19% of the country’s biggest companies have the detailed plans needed that set out how they will meet their net-zero targets by 2050.   

WWF is therefore urging the government to legislate big businesses so they have to publish detailed plans on how they will limit temperature rise to below 1.5°C.

When businesses do make Net-Zero pledges, WWF has highlighted that it is also important that companies’ action plans are independently verified by a credible science-based target organisation to ensure they are robust and adequately ambitious.

Tanya Steele, WWF’s chief executive said: ‘It is six years since the Paris Climate Agreement set a target to keep global temperature rise to below 1.5oC and most of the UK’s largest businesses aren’t doing nearly enough to curb their emissions to make our planet safe for future generations.

‘We cannot rely on voluntary measures to tackle the greatest crisis of our time. Before the UK hosts the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, the Government must tell us that they will make businesses publish transition plans on how they will cut their climate emissions.’

In related news, a new climate action course will help small businesses to get to net-zero. 

Photo by Charles Forerunner