"The Guardian's recent investigation suggests that, from retailers to banks, carmakers to councils, pledges once trumpeted from press release rooftops are being softened or shelved. The rhetoric of carbon-neutral economies now reads, all too often, like a relic of corporate virtue signalling rather than a serious business strategy. Yet here's the part no executive memo seems to state with enough clarity: net zero isn't a fad. It is the defining economic transformation of our era, as seismic as electrification or the internet."
"There's a narrative circulating among the financially cautious that climate action is a cost rather than an investment. That delivering net-zero targets detracts from near-term profits. That shareholders want dividends, not decarbonisation. And then there's the grumbling about regulation: "not now, not yet, don't you see we have bills to pay?" Balderdash. Yes, there are genuine short-term costs to decarbonisation. But those are far outweighed by long-term economic opportunity."
Corporate climate commitments have weakened across sectors, with pledges from retailers to banks, carmakers to councils being softened or shelved. Net zero remains an irreversible economic transformation comparable to electrification or the internet, not a fad or mere virtue signalling. Claims that climate action is a net cost or incompatible with shareholder returns misread long-term opportunities. Short-term decarbonisation costs exist, but credible research indicates the transition could be worth over £1 trillion to UK business by 2030 through innovation, exports and first-mover advantage. Falling behind on net zero risks ceding market share and reputational standing.
Read at Business Matters
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