14 Dec 2020

‘So far we have two’ on the Race to Zero

Posted in: Toitū Together

‘So far we have two’ on the Race to Zero

We invite you to join us and be among the first thousand New Zealand organisations to sign up to the Race to Zero coalition leading up to COP26.

UPDATE (15/12/2020)

As of 15 December 2020, Toitū Envirocare is proud to be among 7 New Zealand organisations committed to the Race to Zero campaign including Auckland Council, CoGo, Redvespa, thinkstep-anz, Green Business HQ and Pathfinder.

At the recent Climate Change and Business Conference, Her Excellency British High Commissioner Laura Clarke stood strong in her push for business to lead, innovate and show the way to net-zero.

“My challenge to you as you leave this conference and go back to the day job is - how will each of you show leadership? Can you commit to reaching zero emissions in the 2040s or sooner? Can you commit to publish a plan to achieve your target? And can you commit to report progress? Will you, as I’m asking, join the Race to Zero coalition?”

She went on to highlight Nigel Topping’s (High Level Champion for Climate Action COP26) challenge to New Zealand to get a thousand organisations signed up to the Race to Zero coalition.

“So far we have two” she revealed.

Recognising Toitū Envirocare and Auckland Council as the only two committing organisations, the British High commissioner made a strong plea to all New Zealand businesses to join up and be part of this global movement.

With that in mind, what exactly is Race to Zero? Why does it matter? And why is it worth committing to?

Race to Zero

Race to Zero is a UN-backed global campaign launched in June 2020. Its mission is to mobilise a collective of leading businesses, cities, regions and investors towards a net zero commitment. The initiative galvanises organisations outside of national governments to join the Climate Ambition Alliance of 120 countries - making it the largest ever alliance committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

Why it matters

The objective is to build momentum for decarbonisation ahead of COP26, where governments must strengthen their contributions to the Paris Agreement. This will send governments a resounding signal that business, cities, regions and investors are united in meeting the Paris goals and creating a more inclusive and resilient economy.

The coalition represents 452 cities, 22 regions, 1,101 businesses, 45 of the biggest investors, and 549 universities. This translates to 53% of Global GDP, 23% of global CO2 emissions, $2.6 Billion people and $4.72 Trillion in annual revenue.

How to join

The Race to Zero initiative aggregates net zero commitments from a range of leading networks and initiatives across the climate action community. These networks and initiatives define the substantive criteria organisations setting net zero targets are required to meet. Organisations can join through the following partners

Visit the Race to Zero website to find out more.