Penguin Perspectives Blog

Airlines are major contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions. Barring a technological shift to electric planes, airlines will continue to burn jet fuel for the foreseeable future, making up something on the order of 2.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Improved operational efficiencies and the introduction of advanced biofuels will reduce emissions, but at the end of the day, carbon credits will continue to be needed to mitigate their overall effect on our global climate.

Forests help stabilise the climate: they regulate ecosystems, protect biodiversity, play an integral part in the carbon cycle, support livelihoods, and can help drive sustainable growth.

We need to keep working on the narrative around sustainability and its link to corporate success, says Nick Aster, our new Director Marketing, North America, who doesn’t start his day without a cup of fair-trade coffee.

Conservation farming plays a major role when it comes to the eradication of poverty; food security; empowering women; and helping communities adapt to global warming. The Kariba project shows that a single incentive can be incredibly effective, and that it is still very much possible to achieve the deep rooted change that is necessary for a better future.

Time is running out. Climate scientists have put us on notice: our actions over the next 10 years will decide where humanity lives for the rest of its existence. We need government, business and individuals to participate and accelerate climate action. Against the backdrop of the UK’s net zero target, our 3 climate leaders from Landsec, M&G Investments and ETL shared the secrets to their success.

One component of the Paris Agreement on climate change that has remained somewhat of a black hole is Article 6, which outlines countries cooperating with one another on their own volition to help achieve emissions-reduction targets.

At current pace we’re going this means we have a window of just over 8 years left until this carbon budget is used up. Going beyond this temperature increase would likely cause an immense rise in unpredictable risks.

We spoke with Sherwin Das, co-founder of Energy Peace Partners to shine a light on P-RECs - Renewable Energy Credits from peace building projects.

Zimbabwe, Africa. Lilian Manyanga, standing in the relentless sun among rows of sorghum plants and holding a large shovel, is showing us around the Tashinga Community Garden of the Hurungwe District. "Before the Kariba project came into effect," she tells us while wiping the sweat beads off her forehead, "I could hardly feed my children. Every year I struggled to send them to school. But now," she gestures around her and smiles, "- now I can pay their school fees without even missing a term!"

The move to net zero must happen as quickly as possible – and it must happen at scale. To achieve real, quantifiable impacts we must explore all possible policy solutions. While carbon pricing and sustainable finance are critical tools for solving the climate crisis, Martin Stadelmann argues that it is clean technology that will help us hit the bullseye on our net-zero target.