NGOs Call for Stronger Standards on Net-Zero Targets, Urging SBTi to Align with UN Recommendations
Non-governmental organizations are urging the Science Based Targets initiative to align its methodologies with United Nations recommendations to prevent greenwashing. The UN High Level Expert Group advocates for stricter standards, requiring companies to report 100% of supply chain emissions and set specific targets for all significant greenhouse gases, including methane. However, NGOs argue that the SBTi currently permits companies to ignore methane and report only a fraction of their supply chain emissions, directly contradicting the rigorous scientific consensus needed to address the climate emergency. The discrepancy between the SBTi’s flexible approach and the UN’s strict proposals creates loopholes that allow major polluters to mislead the public. Critics highlight that the initiative continues to validate targets aligned with warmer scenarios, despite promoting a baseline consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. This misalignment enables corporations to present credible-seeming climate commitments that are effectively weaker than necessary, thereby diluting the urgency of global climate action and risking the feasibility of international temperature goals. Consequently, the SBTi faces accusations of facilitating greenwashing, particularly when companies use its validation to claim progress without delivering substantive results. Instances where corporations continue to assert net-zero pledges long after submission deadlines have passed, despite lacking verified plans or facing legal challenges, illustrate the scheme’s vulnerabilities. For consumers and investors, this article is vital as it reveals how established verification mechanisms can be exploited, urging a demand for transparent, scientifically robust standards to ensure genuine corporate accountability rather than superficial environmental branding.
Source: edie.netPublished on 2023-07-21
Related news
- Government’s Climate Active program should be probed for potential greenwashing, Allan Fels says
- Sierra Club Workers Challenge Leadership's Greenwashing ‘Apartheid Tours’
- 'Greenhushing' claims look unfounded as carbon credit disclosures hold, say analysts « Carbon Pulse
- ACCC publishes draft guidance to improve businesses' environmental claims - Beef Central