📉 How to be a CEO in a climate crisis? 📈

Hi there,

You might be wondering what's going on. It was only last Friday that our previous newsletter dropped into your inbox!

We know this is breaking our fortnightly schedule, but this news is simply too big to not share...there's a new campaign in the voluntary carbon market. Read on to learn more.

Introducing Reduce and Invest, a new campaign for the VCM

What's new?

Reduce and Invest arrived on the scene on September 18. It is a playbook to guide business action in a climate crisis. It sets out a recommended approach for reaching Global Net Zero and here at Respira, we couldn't be more supportive.

Who's it for? 

It is relevant to every business professional, of every company, in every sector because although none of us have chosen to have our careers during a climate crisis it’s up to us to act, fast.

What does it advocate?

The principle of Reduce and Invest is simple. It calls on us all to balance our [carbon] books. It’s one thing to commit to net zero emission in the future, but quite another to take responsibility for your continued contribution to the problem. As business professionals, we need to account for our emissions today, tomorrow, next week and next year.

How can we balance our [carbon] books?

Fundamentally, this means reducing and investing in equal measure. Companies should reduce their corporate emissions as fast, and as far, as possible. Rapid decarbonisation of your supply chain is critical and urgent.

At the same time, companies should use the voluntary carbon market to invest in climate solutions, above and beyond your business, which can help accelerate global net nero.

Reducing and investing means matching your company’s emissions to its carbon credit purchases, today. It has to be both – and in equal measure. Simply, if you pollute, you pay.

How to be a CEO in a climate crisis

The climate crisis is asking big, difficult, fundamental questions of business leaders. While a CEO’s tenure may be short (the average tenure is 4.5 years), their legacy is long...but there’s no instruction manual and reaching net zero emissions is hard.

To decide how much to spend on carbon credits, Reduce and Invest recommends CEOs set a voluntary carbon price per tonne of their company’s emissions. It should be equal and opposite; like for like. Every tonne, every time. Simple. 

What now?

Reduce and Invest says we should all be applying its messages to our business strategies. It calls us businesses everywhere to balance their [carbon books] by reducing and investing in equal measure.

It's better when it's balanced. Better for the planet...and better for your business. Learn more on the Reduce and Invest website and our blog here.

Respira is an impact-driven carbon finance business. We channel private capital into the world’s best carbon projects to scale natural and technological climate solutions through high-quality carbon credits. The majority of these investments are directed to the global south to tackle the climate crisis, prevent biodiversity loss and empower the communities where climate change hits hardest.