Navigating net zero: Turning climate strategy into corporate strategy

Sylvera published a paper on climate and corporate strategy in December 2024. In the UK, the new Labour government committed in their manifesto to mandating all FTSE 100 companies to develop and implement ‘credible’ net zero transition plans. Although the paper found that 9 in 10 companies in the UK and US have increased their investment in net zero initiatives in the last two years, 24 percent of those surveyed are very concerned about the brand and reputational damage associated with net zero missteps.

Key takeaways on Article 6 at COP29

In December 2024, The Nature Conservancy summarised the progress toward finalising Article 6 during COP29 to establish rules for international carbon markets under the Paris Agreement. The guidance details the operationalisation of Articles 6.2 and 6.4 which enable countries to scale up mitigation and mobilise climate finance for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The document highlights tasks for the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body and anticipates future refinements to the framework.

How to unlock billions in carbon market demand

Patch, the carbon platform, published a guidance report for the demand side of the carbon markets in November 2024. The organisation spoke with hundreds of carbon credit buyers to find out what challenges they face – and how they are solving them. The report found that of the 100 biggest carbon credit buyers, only 15 percent have a dedicated carbon team. However, it takes the average buyer 53 hours to complete a comprehensive due diligence review.

Nature-based solutions can help cool the planet — if we act now

In May 2021, Nature published a comment piece by several leading academics specialising in natural climate solutions. They made the case that nature-based solutions can help cool the planet if the world harnesses this potential now while simultaneously drastically cutting greenhouse gas emissions. It breaks down natural global temperature cooling into three categories: protecting, managing and restoring and shows the mitigation potential of each. It assesses the potential of nature-based solutions to reduce global heating under a 1.5, 2 and 3-degree trajectory.

Tookit: Understanding nature-based solutions voluntary carbon markets

We Mean Business released a toolkit to aid understanding of nature-based solutions and voluntary carbon markets in 2024. It answers FAQs on nature-based solutions, voluntary carbon markets and the importance of these solutions. There’s a timeline for Article 6, as well as case studies for nature-based solution projects. It emphasises that we can only achieve global climate goals by harnessing nature-based solutions for both climate mitigation and adaptation.

Climate justice, forests, and Indigenous Peoples: toward an alternative to REDD + for the Amazon

This article, published in Springer Nature in July 2024, considers how REDD+ currently works for Indigenous Peoples and how it could work better. It argues that in implementing REDD+ on a project level, the burden of conservation and management tends to fall on marginalized communities, including Indigenous Peoples. The authors present 12 principles that reimagine REDD+ in a justice-oriented way.

Nature Finance and Biodiversity Credits: A Private Sector Roadmap to Finance and Act on Nature

In October 2024, the World Economic Forum collaborated with McKinsey & Company to produce a roadmap for the private sector to finance and act on nature. It argues that since the adoption of the Global Biodiversity Framework in 2022, opportunities for the private sector to engage with nature have grown rapidly. However, despite private financing rising to over $102 billion in 2023, a $700 billion annual gap remains to adequately fund nature.

Beyond value chain mitigation: Act now and shape tomorrow, a guide for sustainability professionals

Climate Impact Partners has released a guide to beyond value chain mitigation in October 2024. It explains the role of companies in climate mitigation, what beyond value chain mitigation is and how CIP has worked with Deloitte in this area. It makes the case for BVCM in terms of supporting wider decarbonisation efforts and reputation benefits. It explains: “By complementing internal strategies, BVCM expands corporate efforts beyond traditional Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, enabling action in existing climate solutions and helping to scale new ones, ultimately advancing societal decarbonization.

Forest Carbon Partnership Facility 2024 Annual Report

In October 2024, The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) reported a record year – it paid the most it ever has in a single year. It made a record $111.3 million in emission reductions payments which take the fund’s total payments (including those made in previous years) to $164.5 million. It reported that FCPF participant countries are now generating about 20 million excess emission reductions. It argues that these could be monetised in carbon markets but that only about 5 million emission reductions have so far been independently verified.

Emissions Gap Report 2024

In October, The UNEP shares its 2024 emissions gap report, highlighting a ‘massive gap between rhetoric and reality’. With the next round of NDCs due for submission in early 2025, the report calls for a serious raising of ambitions. The report states that countries must cut 42 percent of GHG emissions by 2030 and 57 percent by 2035 if the world is to get on track for 1.5°C.