Spotlight: Race to Zero
Join the United Nations-backed Race to Zero campaign to get to net zero carbon emissions before 2050.
Let’s get to Net Zero!
If you’re feeling fired up to take action to address global climate change, you’re not alone. One of the best ways to do so is to commit yourself and your organization to getting to net zero.
It is international scientific consensus that to prevent the worst damages from climate change, net global human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases need to fall by 45% below 2010 levels by 2030, reaching net zero around 2050.
According to Oxford University, “Net Zero refers to the state in which the greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by removal from the atmosphere.” In other words, we need to ensure that for any carbon pollution we produce, we remove an equal or greater amount. And the most effective way to do this is to reduce the amount of carbon pollution we produce in the first place.
Going carbon neutral or climate neutral, while subtly different, are similar to net zero - so don’t let that confuse you. The ultimate goal is to find that balance where our actions are not adversely affecting the climate.
Reducing and balancing out our carbon emissions sounds pretty daunting. It’s hard to even know where to start. Fortunately, there are thousands of other organizations around the world that are also on this journey with us. We’re able to build upon their trailblazing work. And there are more and more tools available to help us out.
What is the Race to Zero?
The best way to mobilize and affirm your commitment in getting to Net Zero is to join the Race to Zero. Race to Zero is a global campaign launched by the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat to rally businesses of all sizes and municipal, regional or national governments to get to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner.
Joining the Race to Zero means committing to take 4 steps:
- Pledge to reach net zero as soon as possible, before 2050 at the latest.
- Create a Climate Action Plan within 12 months of joining explaining how you are going to reach net zero.
- Take action to reduce your carbon footprint and get to net zero
- Publish your progress at least annually
Joining the Race to Zero campaign
You can join the Race to Zero campaign by signing up with one of the Race to Zero partners. There are specific partners working to help you out based on your type of organization.
If you’re a small-to-medium business (SME) like us, the SME Climate Hub is a great place to start.
Joining SME Climate Hub is a simple matter of committing the SME Climate Pledge and submitting some details about your organization. They will follow up with an email granting you access to the portal.
By joining SME Climate Hub, your organization will be listed in their directory of committed businesses and you will be automatically registered in the Race to Zero campaign. You can then use the SME Climate Hub and Race to Zero logos on your website to showcase your net zero commitment to the world.
The portal contains several tools that you can use to help you on your journey.
- There is a basic carbon calculator that can help you understand your current carbon footprint to build an initial baseline.
- There is also course material to bring you up-to-speed on what to do to get to net zero.
Race to Zero and Profiles.eco
Now that you have joined the Race to Zero, your .eco profile is a great place to showcase this to the world. If you edit your profile, you can go to the Membership section and add Race to Zero to your profile. If you joined using the SME Climate Hub, you can add this membership to your .eco profile as well. You can check out our .eco profile as an example.
Adding these memberships to your profile will also list your organization on the profile aggregator pages. It would be awesome to see every member of the .eco community join this worthwhile initiative.
Take action!
Here’s the quick summary of what you can do:
- Commit yourself and your organization to getting to net zero!
- Join the Race to Zero through one of the race partners
- Affirm your public commitment to this goal by adding your membership in the Race to Zero campaign to your .eco profile.
Time is running short to reverse global climate change but by working together to reach net zero we can get there!