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Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)

 


 

Prompted by the Paris Agreement and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at a faster pace, governments across the world are reviewing their initial ambitions, and looking at what is required to deliver on the goal of ‘net zero’ emissions. Achieving this goal requires further discussion, with every sector and region involved. Business has a unique and crucial role to play, and as public debates gather momentum at national, European and international levels, businesses will be expected to change their operations in order to deliver on this vision.

The Corporate Leaders Group is calling on governments to set net zero goals in line with the Paris Agreement, and is working to lead its business peers to work with governments on what a net zero economy could look like.

Bank 2030: Accelerating the transition to a low carbon economy

30 January 2020

30 January 2020 – This report authored by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership’s (CISL) Banking Environment Initative (BEI) highlights the need for banks to develop an ‘active mindset’ in order to accelerate the transition to a low carbon economy.

Industrial Transformation 2050: Pathways to net-zero emissions from EU Heavy Industry

24 April 2019

April 2019 – The report, supported and co-funded by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), sets out multiple possible pathways the EU could pursue to achieve the full decarbonisation of its heavy industries by 2050.

Aiming for Zero: Long-term certainty for economic prosperity

6 November 2018

12 September 2018 – The Paris Agreement is a historic landmark for both international diplomacy and action on climate change. The Agreement sets out an ambition, and a framework, to limit climate change and global temperature rise to well below 2°C, with efforts to limit this to 1.5 °C. To be Paris compliant, and to have any hope of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 °C, it is clear from the latest science that global emissions must now fall to net-zero as early as possible in the second half of this century. For developed economies such as the EU’s, whose leadership is essential in this, the achievement of net zero emissions must therefore be by 2050 at the latest.

How companies are preparing for a net zero future

29 October 2018

Hear from members of the Corporate Leaders Group about why they are aiming for a net zero future by 2050, how they plan to achieve this, and why they need the government to commit to this ambitious goal.

Aiming for Zero: A growing business movement

10 September 2018

10 September 2018: Business leaders can share their insights and experience to inform policy and regulation; they can also shape public expectations on how sustainable growth can be advanced. This briefing aims to support companies to engage more meaningfully in the net zero debate.

Energy Policy Research Group paper commissioned by CISL is published in influential academic journal

14 August 2018

14 August 2018 – Commissioned by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and first published in April 2017, the working paper on the future of the EU electricity market was published in the leading academic journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.

The drive to net zero emissions should be the next space race

8 August 2018

8 August 2018 – With a month to go to the Global Climate Action Summit, Eliot Whittington reflects on the innovation and competition that can emerge from the accelerated pursuit of a net zero emission economy.

Resource Productivity and the Circular Economy: The opportunities for the UK economy

21 May 2018

May 2018 – This paper presents the findings of consultation with members of Business in the Community’s (BITC’s) Circular Economy Taskforce on opportunities for the UK to take a leading global role in resource productivity and to move towards a circular economy. It discusses the opportunities and challenges in accelerating the UK’s transition to a circular economy.

Renovation Roadmap: Making Europe’s homes fit for the 21st Century

13 April 2018

April 2018 – This report draws on insights and experience from 12 businesses who are members of the CLG and its close network and are involved in energy-efficiency renovation of buildings. It highlights the importance of renovating EU homes at scale in order to deliver on the Paris Agreement and take advantage of the associated economic opportunities, and identifies the current barriers to a higher renovation rate as well as promising schemes and experimentations across the EU. It puts forward recommendations for EU Member States and local governments to address these barriers and make the most of this opportunity.

Electric avenue: The future of road transport in Europe

10 November 2017

November 2017 – This report draws together insights from businesses and industry experts to map the trends toward electrification and automation in the road transport sector. It seeks to make a high-level assessment of the implications and opportunities for European businesses, as well as what policymakers need to do to respond to these trends.