The signs are everywhere
that something new and critically important is happening,
right now, when it comes to climate change.
While the science of global warming has been clear for decades,
what we’re seeing today
signals a seismic shift in how policymakers,
business leaders, and the public
think, and act, on climate change.
At the center of this change is a new vision:
Net Zero.
Net Zero is an idea that’s quickly gone from the fringe
to the focus for governments and businesses around the world.
Why?
Because it’s clearer than ever
that we are running out of time to prevent climate disaster.
And that to avert the worst effects of climate change,
we need to act with much greater ambition--
collectively, right now.
So, what is Net Zero?
A Net Zero world is a world in balance.
One where we emit no more greenhouse gasses
than we are able to remove,
either through natural means or through technology.
Right now, we are way out of that balance.
We are spewing vastly more greenhouse gasses
into the atmosphere than we are taking out of it.
And by the year 2030,
it will be too late to avoid future catastrophes,
like dangerously high sea levels,
intolerable heat,
deadly droughts,
and the destruction of entire ecosystems.
The United Nations now says that climate change
is code red for humanity.
But there’s a better path, the Net Zero path.
To limit warming to 1.5 degrees,
the level that scientists recommend,
we must achieve Net Zero, as a planet, fast.
What does that entail?
It’s six, main things.
First, reduce emissions. Dramatically.
We need to cut them by more than half
over the next ten years alone.
And at least half again in the decade after that.
That will mean significant changes for all industries.
But in particular,
we will have to decarbonize our power grids
and electrify our vehicles.
Second, remove carbon.
That means actively investing in the wide range of
nature-based and industrial solutions that we have
to take carbon out of the atmosphere.
Third, educate.
We need to inspire a new mass consciousness
that shifts us away from the destructive notion of “infinite growth”,
and towards the responsible and prosperous stewardship
of our resources,
our environment,
and our societies.
Fourth, innovate.
We need to energize an “ecopreneur revolution”
to help innovators develop and scale
the new technologies that we will need
in order to get to Net Zero.
According to the International Energy Agency,
we can cut emissions in half by 2030
using existing and proven technologies.
But to get all the way to Net Zero,
we will need more.
Fifth, advocate.
Everyone is responsible for working towards the right mix
of government policy that enables investment in innovation,
while also holding bad actors accountable.
And lastly, reforest:
We’ve gone from six trillion trees on earth
down to just three trillion today,
and we’re still deforesting
at a rate of a football field every second.
We need to protect and restore our planet’s ability
to regenerate forests, and capture carbon.
We need to do all of these things
with the understanding that when it comes to this
existential threat to our planet and our societies
we are all in this together.
After all, climate change doesn’t respect borders.
Pollution from Beijing, Bangalore, or Bakersfield
contributes equally to sea-rises in the Seychelles,
crop failures in Mali,
or hurricanes in Honduras.
And whether a tree burns in Brazil or in Botswana,
the planet suffers the same loss of
precious biodiversity and carbon-capture capacity.
We also need to recognize that many of the communities
that are the least responsible for the climate crisis
are the most vulnerable to its impacts.
And so, to succeed,
the Net Zero transition must be a just
and equitable one.
Wealthy countries must ensure that
lower-income countries and communities
have the support that they need to make the Net Zero transition too.
We all need to get there together.
There’s no way around it:
the Net Zero transition will require the most dramatic
collective mobilization in human history.
But look around,
there is unprecedented momentum right now.
And that is cause for optimism.
Governments are getting it.
Countries that account for more than two-thirds of global GDP
have already committed to Net Zero.
That includes the two largest polluters in the world:
the United States and China.
Cities from Miami, to Athens, to Freetown
are appointing high level “Heat Officers”
to manage the health and economic risks of extreme heat.
Meanwhile, activists are moving from the streets
to the boardrooms of the world’s most powerful oil companies,
and winning court rulings that order energy majors
to reduce their emissions.
There's also an unprecedented effort
to restore natural carbon capture.
The World Economic Forum's “One Trillion Tree” program
is working to plant trees, restore land,
and generate sustainable long term bio-economies
in the United States, India, the Amazon, and the Sahel.
And corporations, philanthropists and governments alike
are all stepping up to join the movement,
inspired by international advocacy groups, like Global Citizen.
Day-to-day norms are changing too.
Today, you can no longer rent out an
energy inefficient home in the United Kingdom
or take short, domestic flights in France.
And within a few years,
you won’t even be able to buy a new petrol-powered car at all
in Europe, in China, or in California, the world’s fifth-largest economy.
Simply put: the world is changing around us.
Around you.
A majority of people polled globally
consider climate change an emergency today,
and they expect their political and business leaders to act.
Now.
So for every moment that you delay,
the path we need to take to Net Zero
will get rockier, steeper, and much, much more painful.
But we can reach Net Zero smoothly,
if all parts of society work together.
The Net Zero future is one where:
Governments set firm Net Zero targets,
and actively regulate in favor of low-carbon activities.
Where investors put their money behind companies
that are working towards Net Zero,
leaving climate-unfriendly companies starved of capital.
And where individuals weave climate awareness
fully into their daily choices.
But the most powerful platform for change will be businesses.
Unlike politicians, who are often constrained by politics,
business leaders can act swiftly and boldly,
developing practices and products that ripple throughout society,
supercharging the Net Zero revolution.
But with that power comes a huge responsibility.
To be real leaders now,
businesses must commit publicly to Net Zero targets,
across all of their operations and value chains.
They must measure and reduce emissions at
every stage of what they make and how they make it
and they must compensate for any emissions that are left.
Throughout all of this,
they must be transparent--
with data--
about their progress.
It's already happening.
There are currently more than 3,000 companies
with Net Zero commitments.
That's up from barely 500 in 2019.
And at least one-fifth of the world’s 2,000 largest public companies
have now made Net Zero pledges.
You can make that leap too.
Or, you will get left behind.
Because within the greatest crisis our planet has ever faced
is the greatest opportunity we have ever known:
A revolution of action and innovation
that builds a prosperous, sustainable future.
At Salesforce, we believe that an equitable
and urgent embrace of Net Zero
is the only path to get there.
But we can’t do it without you.
That’s why we want to work with you,
so that we can all get on that path to Net Zero,
and stay on it.
We can help, with technology that gives you the
tools to measure your emissions
and the capabilities to reimagine your business, sustainably.
The way to a Net Zero future is open before us, right now.
Join us, and let’s get there, together.