According to a new study, the world’s largest companies do not comply with the climate targets they set, and they exaggerate their efforts towards these targets.
Google, Amazon, Ikea, Apple and Nestle are among the 25 companies examined by the NGOs New Climate Institute and Investigate Carbon Markets.
Examining the climate strategies that these companies have announced to the public in order to reach their net zero carbon targets and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, the study suggests that the vast majority of companies are not adapting quickly enough to the new working conditions and methods required by the climate crisis.
Some of the companies included in the report told the BBC that they did not find the methods of the research correct, and that they had actually made significant progress in combating the effects of the climate crisis.
Consumers expect the world’s largest companies to be at the forefront of tackling the climate crisis and demand it to be more ‘green’. However, according to the findings of this study, the 25 companies examined are responsible for 5 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the study called Corporate Climate Responsibility, the carbon footprints of these giant companies are huge. But they are also in a position to lead the efforts to combat the effects of the climate crisis in the world.
However, in this period when corporate climate commitments are increasing in the world, it is difficult to distinguish the real pioneers in the climate crisis.
The lead author of the study, Thomas Day, explained that his team initially set out to identify good examples among corporate companies in tackling the climate crisis, but they were disappointed when they saw the inconsistencies between the words and actions of the companies they examined.
“We are aware that the climate crisis is a very serious problem and that we need to act immediately. We have set our climate targets with this in mind. We are working towards achieving our net zero carbon target by 2040,” Amazon said in a statement.
Nestle said: “We welcome scrutiny of our commitments and work, but there are errors in the work of the New Climate Institute, and it also does not reflect our approach to the issue.”
No company scored high
Experts emphasize that the whole world must reach the net zero carbon target to stop the temperature rise by 2050. To achieve this, it is necessary to significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emitted into the atmosphere.
Companies set and implement their own climate targets.
Google is committed to being ‘carbon neutral’ by 2030, while Ikea suggests it will be ‘climate positive’ by 2030.
Each company surveyed in the study was given an ‘integrity’ score. It has been found that some companies perform better than others in line with their climate targets. However, no company was given a high score.
Some of the scoring criteria are publishing carbon emission figures, identifying carbon emission sources and presenting all this information in an understandable way.
The research found that if companies’ climate targets are implemented, their carbon emissions will drop by only around 40 percent, meaning they will never reach ‘net zero’.
It is argued that only three of the 25 companies surveyed are serious about reducing their carbon emissions. These companies are Maersk, Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom.
Ambitious commitments fall short
The study also states that the language companies use on climate targets is inappropriate.
“Companies’ ambitious commitments no longer fall short,” Day says.
Day and his research team point out that it will be difficult for company users to understand how well companies comply with their climate targets, and they state that the information and data are very mixed.
Day says that some of the carbon emission data is due to the consumption of users, not directly from the company’s operations, and that there are deficiencies in the climate targets that companies offer in this direction.
According to the report, 70 percent of Apple’s carbon footprint comes from consumer use.
Ikea, in a statement to the BBC, stated that they welcome the examination of the companies’ climate targets.
“We clearly define the scope of our climate goals and continually document our work towards those goals,” Google said.