Greta Thunberg tells us that the climate crisis has already been solved, “all we have to do is wake up and change.” But are the changes we intend to make good enough? There has been a push to enforce individual actions that reduce waste, such as reusable straw usage. However, society is beginning to crack down on corporations to do better, given the larger influence they have in pollution released into the atmosphere. Corporations are being asked to not just “talk the talk” for sustainable practices, but to equally “walk the walk.”
There are some plans that take a more moderate approach toward sustainability, such as those of Delta Air Lines. On Feb. 14, the airline company publicly announced their plan to commit $1 billion over 10 years to become the first carbon neutral airline. This money will be used for carbon reduction which will not only improve flight operations, but will jump-start research funding that will make their planes more fuel efficient. Delta is also investing in carbon removal by using carbon offsets. Carbon offsets are a reduction in emissions of excess carbon dioxide in order to compensate for emissions made elsewhere. This is a helpful practice because the excess production of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide warm up the planet and contribute to climate change. This means that in order to neutralize Delta flights’ carbon dioxide emission, they will be investing in projects such as the creation of new wind farms and the planting of new forests. Delta’s planes themselves will not be releasing less carbon dioxide, but Delta will use carbon offsets in other areas of operation to neutralize what they put into the air. According to The Daily podcast episode from Feb. 24, this climate plan does not structurally change Delta’s work, but instead it is a new “financial construct” for Delta.
Other corporations like Amazon have pledged to implement concrete changes within their corporation. Last year in September 2019, Amazon pledged to reach the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement 10 years early. The Paris Climate Agreement is an agreement with the United Nations Framework Convention regarding how countries should combat the threat of climate change. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos states that he intends for 80 percent of Amazon’s energy use to come from renewable sources by 2024, until ultimately reaching zero emissions by 2030. In order to achieve this goal, Bezos wants to transition Amazon to using electric delivery vans. He agreed to purchase 100,000 electric vans and plans to have the first ones on the road by 2021. This implementation would impact the amount of fossil fuels Amazon uses and create concrete changes within Amazon’s business practices. However, critics note that while Amazon’s efforts are monumental for a company as global and influential as Amazon, they are still not doing enough given the pressing need to create change before it is too late.
Bezos also released a climate plan of his own. Announced to Instagram on Feb. 17, Bezos describes how his fund, the Bezos Earth Fund, will be used to support scientists, activists, nongovernmental organizations, and any other efforts that will protect the natural world. He committed $10 billion toward the fund and says he will begin issuing grants in the upcoming summer. Though his message supports climate change efforts, Bezos has not revealed any details about how this money will be used.
Other corporations, such as Microsoft, are completely reshaping their work practices by prioritizing environmental sustainability as well. Microsoft is already carbon neutral to begin with, but on Jan. 16 they announced their plans to become carbon negative by 2030. This means that they will reduce their emissions by half and remove more carbon dioxide from the air than they emit. Additionally, Microsoft also promised to remove all of the carbon the company has released into the atmosphere since 1975 by the year 2050. Their new Climate Innovation fund, which pledges $1 billion over the next four years toward new technologies, will help achieve this goal. Per Microsoft’s announcement, the fund will also be used to “expand access to capital around the world to people working to solve this problem.” This fund will not only help researchers discover new technologies that can remove carbon from the atmosphere, but also ensure that other companies receive the necessary help and funds to combat climate change.
There are many other companies that are also working to improve their environmental sustainability within the organization. Unilever is a transnational consumer goods company that owns brands such as Ben & Jerry’s and Dove. Unilever is working to ensure all of their agricultural materials come from sustainable sources. In 2018, they reported that over 50 percent of agricultural raw materials were currently being sustainably sourced and they are working to improve that number. Unilever also pledged to become carbon positive by 2030. Despite this progress, Unilever faced pressure because in that same year the Break Free from Plastic campaign noted Unilever as a major contributor to plastic pollution in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Unilever responded by stating that they will work faster to reach these climate goals and are tracking their progress publicly on their website.
Patagonia addresses a different form of climate action by creating products using organic cotton and recycled fabrics. It is one of the many clothing companies that are now working to make their clothes sustainable. Patagonia also pledges 1 percent of sales toward the preservation of the natural environment.
While all progress is good progress, critics of these corporate climate plans call out the motives that might lie beneath these companies’ words. Anand Giridharadas, author of the book “Winner Takes All” wrote a New York Times piece critiquing this recent movement of philanthropy from the wealthy. Giridharadas states that what these billionaires are actually proposing is “fake change” that only maintains the system that benefits them and causes many of the problems they try to fix. He says that their “helpfulness is part of how they pull it off,” by acting as an “accomplice to greater, if more invisible, harm.” This message forces consumers to think about the contradicting messages they receive from corporations, such as Amazon, that publicly push for environmentalism, while internally working for their own interest with actions such as not paying their taxes.
Furthermore, climate action has become popular in the media and can oftentimes be used as a marketing tool for companies. This practice, called greenwashing, is used to persuade audiences and customers that a company or a product is better or more desirable because it is marketed as environmentally friendly. This is something to be aware of when looking at how corporations market and implement their climate plans. Companies also have an economic incentive to become more sustainable not only because of social pressure, but also to attract powerful investors like Larry Fink. Fink is the CEO and Chairman of BlackRock, the world’s largest money manager that oversees about $7 trillion. Every year Fink sends a letter to the CEOs of the world with a different message of advice and this year the letter urged corporations to prioritize environmental sustainability with the added consequence that if they don’t, he could vote against those companies. This puts added pressure on companies to show that they are working on these goals and creating progress quickly even if they echo false promises.
With all of this in mind, it can seem difficult to know where to stand or what to do to help. The greatest thing to keep in mind is that there is more to this issue than what we see in headlines or in company announcements. Given that we are all consumers and customers for these brands, it is necessary to be proactive and informed about who is putting forth the best effort to create change. By remaining informed, we can hold companies accountable and demand more action when needed. Climate action will progress as long as we work alongside these corporations to ensure we all prioritize environmental sustainability.