This Friday (5 June) is World Environment Day and to celebrate the signatory window for the Pledge to Net Zero initiative has reopened
In November 2019, the ‘Pledge to Net Zero‘ initiative was launched with the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) and sister organisation the Environmental Industries Commissions (EIC) among the first signatories of the campaign which also included ACE member firms AECOM and WSP.
Since the launch of the campaign, 44 industry organisations have signed the pledge. These signatories represent multiple sectors, including private sector consultancies, public sector organisations, professional bodies and non-consultancy companies working in fields such as contracting.
All signatories commit the three pledges:
- Set and commit to delivering a greenhouse gas target in line with either a 1.5°C or well below 2°C climate change scenario – covering buildings and travel as a minimum.
- Publicly report greenhouse gas emissions and progress against this target each year.
- Publish one piece of research or thought-leadership piece each year on practical steps to delivering an economy in line with climate science and in support of net-zero carbon.
This is a great opportunity for organisations to join a select group who have made very public commitments on embedding net-zero in their work but also implement net-zero plans as an organisation.
The largest threat to humanity
David Symons, UK director of sustainability at WSP, said: “To see such enthusiasm and engagement from the environmental services sector in only six months is extremely encouraging.
“We need to continue this action because while Covid-19 is the most urgent threat to society today, climate change is the largest threat to humanity in the long term.”
Robert Spencer, director of sustainable development at AECOM, said: “It’s encouraging to see colleagues and peers in our sector getting behind the Pledge to Net Zero over the last six months.
“It is so important for our credibility as trusted advisors on decarbonisation that we go through the same challenges and successes as our clients and work out what net-zero solutions work for us and how we can learn and share best practice.
“Setting and having our own science-based targets has been a real game-changer for the AECOM community and provided a strong platform for us and our clients as we develop initiatives for pulling carbon out of infrastructure and building developments in the run-up to COP26 and beyond.”
