Race to Zero: April Roundup
By Tessa Vincent, Race to Zero Engagement Lead, Climate Champions | May 5, 2023
It’s been a busy, but exciting, month for Race to Zero this April, starting with the release of our updated Who’s in section. To date, we have an alliance of 11,000+ members committed to net zero by 2050, consisting of:
- 9,759 companies (out of which 5,821 are SMEs)
- 49 states and regions
- 1,148 cities
- 617 financial institutions
- 78 healthcare institutions, and
- 67 other organisations
The month began by welcoming a new team member, Saurabh Jain, who joins as our Expert Peer Review Group Manager. Saurabh served as Special Secretary to the Minister of Environment & Climate Change, Government of Maharashtra, and brings a wealth of experience in public and climate policy.
We also ran our monthly Partner meeting on the topic of criteria pillar, ‘Publish’. The team convened relevant players in this space, including the UN Global Climate Action Portal (GCAP), Climate Disclosure Project (CDP) and Net Zero Data Public Utility (NZDPU), to discuss the complexities, and share the opportunities, in transparently tracking progress across the ecosystem. Thank you to our guest speakers and the Partners who tuned in.
Race to Zero’s criteria 3.0 will come into force in June, and we are working closely with Partners on alignment and working to overcome shared challenges. The campaign and our Partners see alignment with criteria 3.0 as a stepping stone toward aligning with the HLEG recommendations, providing a clear steer on the direction we need to move to achieve net zero and remain within a 1.5C limit.
Finally, Race to Zero is pleased to be building off the Pivot Point report last year, with a dedicated workstream on building from a groundswell of voluntary action into net zero ground rules for the economy.
Our ‘Net Zero Policy & Regulation’ community of 40+ people met on Thursday 27 April to share insights on how we might transition into net zero policy and regulation, with interventions from Oxford University, Net Zero Lawyers Alliance, the UK Transition Plan Taskforce and more. We are looking forward to working further with this community (with support from the Future of Climate Cooperation) on how to pivot from voluntary action – to creating net zero aligned ground rules for the economy.
Partners
We were pleased in April to welcome the Venture Climate Alliance (VCA), a coalition of 23 leading VC firms, as a new partner of the Race to Zero, helping bring in new members and follow our criteria. This collaboration marks a crucial step in our joint efforts towards a sustainable, net zero future.
Existing partner, Exponential Roadmap Initiative ran its Exponential Solutions Day, with Race to Zero’s Policy & Engagement Lead, Tessa Vincent, speaking on the importance of showcasing leadership and transitioning to net zero aligned policy and regulation. Watch the video here.
Accelerators
New Race to Zero Accelerator, ANDESS was invited as a speaker in a national water and sanitation conference for 50 people from Latin America to discuss its incorporation into the Race to Zero. Read more here.
Existing Accelerator, Positive Impact, is hosting a webinar with speakers from ISO, Unicef UK., the International Olympic Committee and more to Learn how to contribute to ISO 20121 and advance human rights considerations in events. Register to attend on May 17th here.
Accelerator, Business in the Community (BITC), is hosting a Masterclass on 25 May to address the need identified for HR and sustainability teams to work together in creating strategies that work for their business, providing a safe space for managers/practitioners to learn from experts who are further ahead in their net zero journeys as well as discuss the challenges and opportunities of green skills with their peers. Sign up here:
Upcoming events
The Climate Champions Team, Race to Zero and Partners are hosting an event at this year’s London Climate Action Week.
The Race is On: Net Zero & Nature Positive for Climate Action will be held at The Conduit, London on Monday 26 June. Spaces are limited, with priority for Race to Zero’s Partners and Accelerators, but you can register here.
Race to Zero is also proud to be a partner for the Climate Innovation Forum during London Climate Action Week.
Business Declares is hosting a screening of The Business of Nature: A Save Our Wild Isles on 4 May.
Our Climate Change High-Level Champion, Dr Mahmoud Mohieldin, is a keynote speaker at Innovation Zero happening on 24 and 25 May in London.
