Public and Private Sectors Team Up to Fight Climate Change

Grace Sweeney | Infocast Events

On the heels of the Paris Agreement, energy ministers and the world’s largest companies adopted major commitments to scale global deployment of clean energy. The June 2nd 7th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM7) meeting in San Francisco, gathered top energy leaders together to unveil a new campaign, aimed at increasing the number of companies committed to going 100 percent renewable in powering their respective organizations. The meeting featured global leaders from 23 countries, as well as the European Union— collectively responsible for 90% of global carbon emissions.

The idea behind this latest climate initiative—which bypasses the stagnant EPA Clean Power Plan sets the ambitious goal of doubling clean energy investments by the year 2020, a project that will cost roughly $30B USD a year.

While all this sounds like a declaration of sweeping, cross-border shift in sectors both private and public, what kind of changes are coming in the near-term?

The Highlights of CEM7:

Apple announced commitments to partner with CEM (US, China and others) countries to further incorporate renewables into their global supply chain.

Autodesk will accelerate emissions reduction targets–four years ahead of schedule by powering all facilities with 100% renewables energy, procuring additional, local energy and establishing an internal price structure for carbon.

Facebook plans to fund and support Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA) initiatives, help other companies learn more about how to navigate the corporate PPA process, as well as work with utilities to develop green tariffs. And, by 2018, the company plans to use at least 50% renewable energy to power daily operations.

Google intends to collaborate with CEM stakeholders: governments, corporate energy buyers and suppliers and NGOs to develop a firm policy aimed at further optimizing renewable energy capabilities in CEM countries.

Building upon their 100% carbon neutral status, Microsoft announced they will be working with REBA to be use 50% renewable energy by 2018 and 60% over the course of the next decade. markets around the world.

What’s Next?

We’re starting to see hope crop up across the board. 2015 was a record-breaking year in the renewables space: with global investment reached all time high and half of the world’s new energy capacity came from wind, solar and hydro power. Efforts like the CEM7, the RE100, REBA and others are helping to increase awareness globally—to corporate and consumers alike. The RE100 has confirmed the number of participating companies has grown to include 65 of the world’s top businesses

This is all well and good, but there is so much more to be done. In a recent report by the EIA, the agency warned that while investment and usage of renewable power will increase significantly worldwide, consumption of so-called “brown energy” will rise alongside wind and solar. Countries like India, China and Brazil are increasingly becoming bigger player in the global economy, and with that rise in stature (as well as population), comes greater access to appliances, automobiles and technology—which in turn, leads to greater consumption. While positive change is happening at an exponential rate, the next generation is poised to inherit a their own set of complex climate issues.

Attend Corporate Renewables 2016 to learn more about what corporations are doing to cope with the impacts of climate change, and at the same time, remain profitable. Don’t miss your chance to hear from Facebook, Google, Amazon and more!

What’s the Difference Between a Traditional and Renewable PPA?
Growing Sophistication of the Renewable Energy Buyer
Business Renewables Center and RE100 Cement Partnership
A Game Changer in Renewables: How Corporations are Shaking Up “Business as Usual”