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Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)

Achieving Zero

The transition to zero is underway. The private sector has a critical role in delivering this transition and there is a growing body of evidence to demonstrate that it makes business sense to act.

Forward looking companies understand this. They are harnessing climate action as driver of innovation, risk management and competitiveness – recognising that setting a course to net zero can provide a powerful guiding light in turbulent times as well as delivering commercial benefits. Yet, there is no blueprint for change and change is not happening fast enough.

The necessary speed and scale of the transition will require unprecedented co-operation and effort from all companies and sectors. It will require transformation towards a new economy that puts people, nature and the climate at the heart of global value creation. 

 

What we do 


Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) plays a key role working with its partners to accelerate this transition. Through our  foresight, education, convening and innovation we help hundreds of companies and thousands of individuals every year to deliver transformational change and impact for a net zero economy.  

 

CISL insights


 

The Dubai hosted 28th annual session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention

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Our position on phasing out fossil fuels.

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Helping businesses align their strategies with net zero.

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Tools, frameworks and thought leadership from the Centre for Sustainable Finance.

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Case studies from startups and SMEs on their net zero journey.

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Thought leadership and knowledge hubs from the Corporate Leaders groups.

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Programmes and courses for business


 

CISL’s flagship international programme equips leaders with the knowledge, commitment and inspiration to turn sustainability
trends into strategic business decisions.

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Online short course to help business professionals upskill themselves in climate change risk, adaptation measures, and low carbon innovation.

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Supporters 


Cambridge Zero harnesses the full range of the University’s research and policy expertise, developing solutions that work for our lives, our society and our economy. 

Chapter Zero is building a community of non-executive directors and equipping them to lead crucial UK boardroom discussions on the impacts of climate change. 

We Mean Business coalition is a global nonprofit coalition working with the world’s most influential businesses to take action on climate change.

Supporters

 

 

Resources and research


Read more at: Unhedgeable risk: How climate change sentiment impacts investment

Unhedgeable risk: How climate change sentiment impacts investment

November 2015 – This report analyses how shifts in market sentiment induced by awareness of future climate risks could impact global financial markets in the short term.


Read more at: Better partnerships: Understanding and increasing the impact of private sector cooperative initiatives

Better partnerships: Understanding and increasing the impact of private sector cooperative initiatives

August 2015 – This report, jointly authored by the Cambridge Institute for Sustainablity Leadership and Ecofys, analyses five cooperative initiatives involving the private sector and identifies their emissions reduction potential. The potential emission reductions from the top five initiatives are significant – at current ambition levels estimated emission reductions could reach 200 MtCO2e.


Read more at: 10 years of Carbon Pricing in Europe – A business perspective

10 years of Carbon Pricing in Europe – A business perspective

July 2015 – This report, commissioned by The Prince of Wales's Corporate Leaders Group, was produced to mark the ten-year anniversary of the EU Emissions Trading System. It is based on a series of interviews with companies covered by this cornerstone climate policy who have made notable progress to reduce their carbon emissions during its lifetime.


Read more at: Rewiring the Economy: Ten tasks, ten years

Rewiring the Economy: Ten tasks, ten years

July 2015, Updated November 2017 – Rewiring the Economy is CISL’s ten-year plan to lay the foundations for a sustainable economy. It is built on ten interconnected tasks, delivered by leaders across business, government and finance. Rewiring shows how these tasks can be tackled co-operatively to build an economy that encourages sustainable business practices, delivering the social and environmental progress demanded by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).


Read more at: Financing the Global Low Carbon Transition

Financing the Global Low Carbon Transition

22 May 2015 – Over the next 15 years, approximately $93 trillion will be needed for investment in low carbon infrastructure across the world. Success would mean mobilising more private capital behind public goals, delivering economic growth and putting us on the path to a net-zero emissions global economy. This paper makes a series of recommendations to achieve this goal.


Read more at: Business as unusual: the required response to the climate challenge

Business as unusual: the required response to the climate challenge

8 January 2014 – With the release of the fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) the world has received another of science’s periodic warnings of the need to change, or face disaster.


Read more at: The role of private capital in building a low carbon Energy Union
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The role of private capital in building a low carbon Energy Union

February 2015 – With Commission cabinets, the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership identified the need for additional thinking on the role of private capital in building an Energy Union. This brief discussion paper addresses the necessary systemic and regulatory reforms that would stimulate private capital flows into the proposed European-wide Energy Union. It has been divided into two parts: a high-level strategic assessment of the challenge, and a formula for unlocking private capital.


Read more at: A Vision for a Strong, Sustainable UK Economy

A Vision for a Strong, Sustainable UK Economy

27 January 2015 – These case studies illustrate that members of The Prince of Wales's Corporate Leaders Group have found that action to reduce emissions can deliver growth and benefits to consumers.


Read more at: A Decade of Progress

A Decade of Progress

27 January 2015 – The first ten years of The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group.


Read more at: Better Growth, Better Climate – Business Briefing on The New Climate Economy Synthesis Report

Better Growth, Better Climate – Business Briefing on The New Climate Economy Synthesis Report

January 2015 and September 2014 – This briefing presents the findings of The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate as documented in their New Climate Economy Synthesis Report, ‘Better Growth, Better Climate’ as a short and relevant summary for a business audience.