Penguin Perspectives Blog

Flash forward: it is 2075 and we’ve set sail for the RCP 8.5 trajectory for 2100, the worst case climate scenario according to the IPCC. Imagine this: Pacific islands such as Tuvalu have long sunk into a rising ocean, heat and pollution take a toll on the global population, hurricanes and fires devastate poor communities on a regular basis, and huge swaths of Asia and Africa have become uninhabitable due to heat and drought. Quick shift back to the present: luckily we are not there. However, we are still far away from the emissions trajectory necessary for a 1.5 degrees Celsius global warming.

Many businesses are responding to growing stakeholder pressure by making commitments to reduce their impact on the environment and boost company sustainability. This includes committing to a net zero ambition. Meeting such targets depends on a combination of variables: consistent senior management ownership, internal buy-in, sufficient resources, and effective technologies. This article - exploring Step 3 of the South Pole Climate Journey – guides you through the essentials to ensure you are well prepared for a net zero target, maintaining your climate actions through successful completion.

When politicians gathered in December 2015 to negotiate the Paris Climate Agreement, countries were asked to set national emissions reduction targets to limit global warming and slow climate change. Five years on during a global pandemic and amidst cries to 'build back better', it's clear that the need for ambitious private sector action is more important than ever.

Located halfway between California and Hawaii, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a long way from land. The center of the patch is roughly 1200 nautical miles from the coast of San Francisco. Traditional methods to clean up, vessels and nets, are not sustainable solutions. This is why The Ocean Cleanup has, since its inception, worked towards developing a passive system that can do the hard job of concentrating the plastic for us, using the natural forces of the ocean. With the help of South Pole, a leading developer of climate protection projects, we have compensated for the carbon emissions from all fuel consumed during the System 001 campaign.

Last February, I spent three days in remote Northern Australia on the Cape York Peninsula where I visited the community of Pormpuraaw to meet with Traditional Owners and Pormpuraaw Land and Sea Rangers and learn how a strategic savanna fire management project operates.

Most businesses are working hard to lay out their corporate sustainability strategies. Growing stakeholder pressure and rising costs related to climate inaction have made concentrated sustainability efforts vital to long term success.

Stakeholders are demanding that we #BuildBackBetter; in order to meet those demands, businesses are increasingly becoming part of a renewable recovery.

Ever wondered what it’s like to live in an off-grid community? Try switching off all your lights in your home and unplug everything. On second thought, don’t do that. It’s dangerous… And that’s the point.

With South Pole's support, Holcim has launched the first climate-neutral concrete in Switzerland. This interview with product engineer Cathleen Hoffmann offers valuable insights into how this milestone was achieved.

If you are sitting reading this at your desk, this piece won't quite describe your average day at work. For the scouts and park rangers working in Kariba, however, a typical day is spent in the field – as you will see, they never know what to expect.