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UN Global Compact Russia

Events

Business and Climate. Low-Carbon Development Strategies

1808


On June 15, this topic was discussed by the roundtable participants, which took place in the UN House in Moscow as part of the All-Russian Climate Week.


Its organizers –Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Association ‘National Global Compact Network’, Climate Partnership of Russia and United Nations Environment Programme under the auspices of British and German Embassies – brought together for a discussion representatives of Russian and foreign companies, scientific and expert society, academics, Russian Federation governmental officials, international organizations and foreign diplomatic missions.

The meeting participants discussed goals and targets for business, deriving from the 2015 Paris Agreement, ways and strategies to decarbonize the economy, its specific industries, state policy and measures on providing sustainable low-carbon development, and required means of business and power interaction.

National low-carbon strategies became a separate discussion topic, as well as an issue of GHG emissions regulation, including the ones functioning under national and international development institutions. The participants listened to a report of Ms. Ellen von Zitzewitz, German Embassy representative, on 2050 Action plan and Strategy of Germany on climate and to a report of Mr. Philip Douglas, British Embassy representative, on successful implication of emissions regulation mechanism in Great Britain). Corporate strategies of business development considering climate requirements and limitations also drew attention of the participants, focusing on corporate accounting systems, reporting and GHG emissions management: Siemens, Bosch, Gazprom, Rusal, and Euraz reported on their experience in GHG emissions management and reducing a carbon footprint.

‘We were discussing a burning issue, which together with other global-scale topics shapes a new universal approach to economy, business, consumption, investment, and many other components of current civilization’, commented L.E. Ovchinnikova, Chairperson of the Association ‘National Global Compact Network’ on the roundtable outcome. ‘Such approach bases upon understanding responsibility of state, companies, and every single person, for the whole spectrum of their impact on nature, society, and it is a cornerstone of sustainable development values, which is a new paradigm of existence and of co-existence on our planet. Global Compact is one of the leading platforms for promoting this topic in the lights of private sector activities. Environmental responsibility of business under the initiative framework is getting more and more specific, and it can already be defined as ‘environmentally-climate’ one. In more and more cases, we can hear business agenda on climate, which is connected in particular to Paris Climate Agreement adoption. The Agreement forced an unprecedented impetus for climate actions, and private sector plays a key role in reducing global GHG emissions. In the near future, business much reach significant progress in reducing its carbon footprint. Business responsibility for climate is currently one of the key Global Compact priorities: the latter aims to expand this work and to involve in it not only large, but also middle and small business, at the same time developing and implementing new leadership standards on climate. In Russia, we will manage this work on a platform of National Global Compact Network (Association), and we invite all the stakeholders to cooperate and to work together at a country level, as well as at international UN platforms.’

According to the UN Global Compact, responsible corporate adaptation should combine strategies, actions and partner relations, with the help of which companies adapt to a new climate approach, at the same time generating common advantage for the communities and ecosystems where they act. In addition, Global Compact highlights that such adaptation means not only new risks, but also new opportunities to raise companies’ competitiveness, growth and development.

‘Caring for Climate’ is the key climate change initiative, created by the UN Global Compact jointly with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Secretariat of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN FCCC) in order to allow quicker adaptation of business to the latest climate agenda.

453 organizations from different countries currently support the initiative (Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Germany, Spain, Finland, France, Denmark, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United States, the United Kingdom etc.). Out of the most well-known brands, there can be named VOLVO, BASF, Bayer, Bavaria, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Danone, Air France, IKEA, LEGO, Electrolux, Metro, Mitsubishi, Pfizer, Linde Group, Total, Unilever. There are only two Russian companies participating: they are a small-business ‘Svirin Family’ furniture company and Rusal UC. 

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