Strategies for making climate programs impactful

🌍 We Can’t Afford to Get Climate Policy Wrong—A Look at the Data Behind What Really Works 🌍 In the race against time to combat climate change, bold promises are everywhere. But here’s the critical question: Are the policies being implemented actually reducing emissions at the scale we need? A groundbreaking study published in Science, cuts through the noise and delivers the insights we desperately need. Evaluating 1,500 climate policies from around the world, the research identifies the 63 most effective ones—policies that have delivered tangible, significant reductions in emissions. What’s striking is that the most successful strategies often involve combinations of policies, rather than single initiatives. Think of it as the ultimate teamwork: when policies like carbon pricing, renewable energy mandates, and efficiency standards are combined thoughtfully, the impact is far greater than any one policy could achieve on its own. It’s a powerful reminder that for climate solutions the whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts. Moreover, the study’s use of counterfactual emissions pathways is a game changer. By showing what would have happened without these policies, it provides a clear, quantifiable measure of their effectiveness. This is exactly the kind of rigorous evaluation we need to ensure that every policy counts, especially when we’re working against the clock. If we’re serious about meeting the Paris Agreement’s targets, we need to focus on what works—and this research offers a clear roadmap. Let’s champion policies that have proven to make a difference, because we don’t have time to waste on anything less. 🔗 Full study in the comments #ClimateAction #Sustainability #PolicyEffectiveness #ParisAgreement #NetZero #ClimateScience

Business Climate Resilience 🌎 Climate-related disruptions are increasing in frequency and severity, creating material risks for business operations, supply chains, and local communities. Addressing these challenges requires a structured and forward-looking approach to climate resilience. The World Economic Forum presents a framework that outlines ten key actions across three pillars: enhancing resilience, capitalizing on opportunities, and shaping collaborative outcomes. These actions are designed to help organizations avoid economic loss, drive sustainability-linked value, and strengthen systemic responses. Enhancing resilience involves asset-level climate hazard mapping, crisis response planning, and contingency strategies for workforce productivity during extreme weather. Addressing single points of failure and diversifying service delivery and supply chain models is essential to minimize operational disruption. Capturing new opportunities requires understanding long-term consumption shifts, adapting local business models, and directing R&D toward sustainable materials, circular models, and resilient infrastructure. Climate-smart portfolio strategies can position climate adaptation as a source of competitive advantage. Systemic resilience depends on coordinated action across the value chain. Collaboration with public, private, and grassroots stakeholders can unlock shared value frameworks, support regenerative practices, and enable the deployment of early warning systems and nature-based financial mechanisms. To operationalize these priorities, businesses are encouraged to activate key enablers within 24 months. These include integrating climate risk into enterprise risk management, conducting detailed audits of capabilities, and aligning capital investment decisions with resilience objectives. Data intelligence, scientific partnerships, and responsible use of technology—particularly AI—will be critical to improve foresight, enable adaptive planning, and enhance the quality of strategic decision-making in the context of escalating climate volatility. #sustainability #sustainable #business #esg

I joined the "Move Fast and Fix the Planet" podcast with Stanford Technology Ventures to discuss entrepreneurship and product management in climate and AI. We talked about domains where AI can help build climate solutions. Some examples: 𝟭. 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆: AI excels at understanding the world through satellite imagery, which is crucial for various climate applications. 𝟮. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀: AI can efficiently process large datasets, such as transportation trends, essential for identifying patterns and optimizing systems. 𝟯. 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: whether it’s predicting contrail formation, optimizing traffic flow, or verifying the effectiveness of a solution (MRV) —AI’s ability to handle large-scale data and identify patterns is key to creating impactful and scalable climate solutions. I also shared advice for product managers/entrepreneurs in climate: 1. Try to 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: start by diving in to understand the climate challenges, including the sources of emissions across various sectors for mitigation, and for adaptation, the types of effects climate change will have, before developing a solution - and be willing to pivot if learn your solution doesn't solve the climate problem. 2. The "𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲" is a core role of PMs: connect the technology to a user group who will take actions that benefit the planet. Essentially: 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 as a critical “𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿.” If you haven’t seen the South Park clip on underpants gnomes… the job of a PM is to avoid underpants gnomes! And this is just as important when your goal is climate impact, as when your goal is profit. 3. In climate especially, it is important to 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁. We spend a lot of time forecasting the potential real-world CO2e impact of our solutions assuming they succeed, and we base prioritization decisions on these forecasts. 4. Be aware of 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀: Policy and regulation are a major factor in the climate and energy sectors, and can be an enabler, a hard stop, or somewhere in between (as we’ve seen the shifting landscape in the US this past week). 𝗧𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗜: Don't be afraid to dive in and focus on a specific subdomain. Find a high-impact domain that excites you, and dig in. You’ll learn along the way. Look for "climate adjacent" opportunities. Such as a fintech solution for energy efficiency or AgTech. Link to the full podcast: https://lnkd.in/gGXz6Drg

You’re just a service provider - you’re not making meaningful changes on the ground. This inner voice is NOT true. I’m constantly thinking about how to step up as a strategic partner for climate action, not just as a vendor. 🤝 I know that storytelling and design play a crucial role to amplify these efforts and attract multi-disciplinary partnerships. But, how can we play a bigger role in this transition? Here are 3 organizations that have combined a core service + capital + other resources to step up their role and impact: 🌿 Sustainable Ventures ↳ Work solely with the climate community  ↳ Offer: Advice, co-working spaces, networking events, capital, and connections so founders can focus on their core technology and growth. ↳ They go beyond investment and play a role in strategy, branding, and all facets of design as well. Portfolio: ✦ Lowr- sustainability platform for organizations to log and lower their users’ emissions ✦ Sunswap - solar-powered thermal refrigeration unit for lower carbon transport 🌿 Designer Fund ↳ Offers $500K and comprehensive design support to early-stage companies, initially focussing on health, prosperity, and sustainability-related ventures. ↳ Provide design advice, build design teams, and connect founders to experts and potential angel investors. This enables climate startups to get the branding, UX, and fundraising support they desperately need. ↳ Goal: Transfer the best of traditional tech SaaS and apply those lessons to our climate challenges, build new alternatives for products rooted in unsustainable supply chains, and work toward a circular economy. Portfolio: ✦  Zero Acre Farms - sustainable urban farming technology ✦  Lumen Energy - helping buildings transition to clean energy 🌿 VSC Ventures ↳ Using media strategy and storytelling as their superpower, VSC helps climate solutions resonate with the mainstream. ↳ Their Climb communications program helps climate tech startups access the best capital, the smartest talent, and the most strategic partners. ↳ At a time when there are more climate tech companies than ever before, robust storytelling is what truly helps founders stand out and influence policymakers, investors, and partners. Portfolio: ✦ Glacier - an AI-based recycling robotics startup that is significantly less expensive than the competition ✦ concrete.ai - an AI platform that prevents unnecessary waste and effort during concrete mixing and production 💚 Climate enablers are more important than ever and there are so many ways to accelerate the transition. Firms that can play a strategic role will provide the foundation for the interventions that mitigate climate change. Who are other service providers are you seeing move beyond their core service for larger impact? Tag other climate-enablers+ service partners doing amazing climate work in the comments! ⬇️

I'm excited to share the launch of "Bold Measures to Close the Climate Action Gap," the latest report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and the World Economic Forum Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders. https://lnkd.in/e8MCFKAm    We see businesses doing more to tackle climate change, but collectively, the world is moving way too slowly. This new report focused on opportunities for companies and governments to translate their individual actions into more substantial global progress. The bottom line is that our individual efforts must be more geared to driving systemic change. The report highlights five ways for companies to do this, including: 1. Accelerate supplier decarbonization. In many companies, suppliers’ emissions are 3x to 8x their own Scope 1&2. Cutting the first 50% of many products’ supply chain emissions can be achieved with an end-price impact under 1% 2. Enable customers to make greener choices. Product redesign, circularity, reducing customers’ energy consumption can substantially lower the emissions footprint of many products. 3. Drive change with peers in your sector, especially in supply chain ‘pinch points’: Ten players or less control more than 40% of many key markets; clearer product labeling is another great area of opportunity 4. Engage in cross-industry partnerships, especially large-scale buying groups, to mobilize capital and accelerate development and scaling of advanced technologies 5. Advocate and support bolder policies. First, make sure you and your lobbying partners are not harming climate progress in your government engagements. Then, look for opportunities to go further to be an effective partner to governments to encourage bold and pragmatic changes in incentives, policies, and reporting. The report is filled with real life examples of what companies are doing today in each of these areas. Thanks to Pim Valdre and Pedro G Gomez Pensado from WEF and my colleagues Dr. Patrick Herhold, Jens Burchardt, Cornelius Pieper, Edmond Rhys Jones, Trine Filtenborg de Nully, Galaad Préau and Natalia Mrówczyńska for leading the work on this important report. And to my Alliance co-chairs, Jesper Brodin, Christian Mumenthaler, Ester Baiget, and Feike Sijbesma for your continued leadership.

The success of climate policies hinges on the right mix of instruments, and taxation and price incentives are the most successful in reducing emissions. This concludes the recent PIK - Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) gGmbH study that analyzed over 1,500 #ClimatePolicy instruments across 41 countries from 1998 to 2022 focusing on their effect on emissions reduction. The researchers identified only 63 policy mixes that achieved significant emissions reductions of at least 5%. This raises the crucial question: which national climate policies are truly effective? By examining the effects of pricing, regulation, subsidies, and information in the building, electricity, industry, and transportation sectors, the research shows that subsidies and regulation alone do not reduce emissions. Instead, they only do so in combination with tax and pricing incentives, as policy mixes work best. From my experience, energy and agriculture sectors demonstrate how sustainability and economic goals go hand in hand. Policymakers should focus on tax incentives and innovation, not just regulation. For example, promoting agricultural innovations that offer carbon-neutral alternatives to conventional fertilizers are a helpful measure for farmers and industry alike. These insights are crucial for policymakers, and anyone interested in #ClimatePolicy. To develop truly effective policies and reduce bureaucracy, we need more research like this to guide our efforts. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eJPWQhmm #Sustainability #EmissionsReduction #ClimatePolicy #PIK #MCC

I am beginning to observe the advantages of value creation, data sharing, and traceability among many of my clients in the #food and #agriculture value chain. Here, I am sharing 4 key principles to consider for an effective supplier engagement program, focusing on #decarbonization in your company’s value chain: 1. Map the Value Chain: Begin by mapping your #valuechain to understand your company’s Scope 3 emissions. This overview of your entire supply chain, aligned with the #GHG Protocol Corporate Value Chain (#Scope3) Accounting and Reporting Standard, helps identify all upstream and downstream activities. 2. Screen and Calculate Scope 3 Emissions: Conduct a preliminary Scope 3 screening to estimate emissions, pinpointing significant sources. After this, refine your calculations for more precise emission estimates. Include both direct and indirect procurement activities in your calculations, covering all supply chain tiers. This ensures reliable data for your decarbonization #strategy. 3. Commit to Continuous Data Quality Improvement: Aim for ongoing improvement in the data quality of your Scope 3 GHG inventory. High data quality standards aid robust supplier engagement and informed decision-making in decarbonization and #climate reporting. Use total Scope 3 emissions as a baseline for tracking emission reduction over time. 4. Identify and Prioritize #Suppliers: Choose suppliers for engagement based on their emission contributions, strategic importance, GHG program maturity, and risk levels. Follow the GHG Protocol’s approach of ranking suppliers by emission contributions for optimal Scope 3 emissions coverage. Balance this selection considering business implications, and ensure alignment with key stakeholders in sourcing, procurement, and relevant business units for maximum program effectiveness. Emphasizing these principles will enhance supplier relationships, offering efficiency, transparency, and resilience in your value chain. It also increases credibility with stakeholders and promotes a positive feedback loop in climate action. #esg #sustainability #climate #CSDDD

How can individuals power investment in climate-beneficial regenerative food and agricultural transition using their donor-advised funds (DAFs)? Following a strategic approach to philanthropic investing that targets funding climate, farming, and food solutions will provide the capital desperately required to invest, fill gaps, and nourish the risk-takers committed to regenerative system change. Here are the steps individuals can take: 1. Align Investment Goals with Climate Objectives: Individuals can start by integrating climate goals into their liquid, diversified, publicly traded portfolios. This can involve divesting from fossil fuel companies, investing in companies with solid climate practices, and engaging with companies to advocate for better environmental policies[1]. 2. Build Climate Solutions: Donors can directly develop and deploy climate solutions through private investments that target at or below-market-rate returns. This includes investing in climate-resilient infrastructure, agriculture technology, sustainable forestry, and other areas that contribute to mitigating climate change[1]. 3. Catalyze High-Impact Projects: For those looking to make a significant impact, DAFs can fund high-risk or lower-return projects that may not attract traditional investment but are crucial for climate action. [1]. 4. Recommend Grants to Nonprofits: DAF holders can designate gifts to nonprofit organizations working on climate solutions. This allows them to contribute directly to the fight against climate change by supporting initiatives that restore ecosystems, develop carbon capture technologies, and address social inequities related to climate change[1]. 5. Utilize DAFs for Environmental Nonprofits: By researching and selecting vetted environmental nonprofits, individuals can ensure their DAF contributions effectively support their intended causes. It's important to distribute funds from DAFs regularly to these organizations to maximize impact[4]. 6. Leverage DAFs for Immediate Tax Benefits: Contributions to DAFs are tax-deductible, and individuals can take an immediate tax deduction while deciding on the distribution of funds later. The funds can also be invested to grow tax-free until they are granted out[6]. By using these strategies, individuals can use their DAFs as a powerful tool for climate philanthropy, directing their charitable capital towards impactful climate action initiatives. Citations: [1] https://lnkd.in/g8HVdF58 [4] https://lnkd.in/g7Jksx9N [6] https://lnkd.in/gYemzg5H

New resource! 📝🌾EDF + Business and Deloitte’s new guidance details strategies for driving down emissions at the farm-level, aligned with complex SBTi Forest, Land and Agriculture commodity targets. Our guide identifies and prioritizes major emissions drivers to maximize the impact of your sustainability plans. By focusing on the right areas, you can efficiently curb near-term warming and accelerate progress towards your climate goals. Ready to streamline your strategy? https://www.edf.org/Z626 We provide an Act, Advocate, Advance framework for each major agricultural commodity, which helps cut through the noise and gives food companies prioritized actions for this #decisivedecade. Huge congratulations to Nicole Jenkins who lead this project on my team, and Nika Beauchamp, Simone Schenkel, Joseph Rudek, Jordan Faires and the team at Deloitte for all of their hard work to publish this critical resource.