Building nature positive into the energy transition

Published: 2 Jun 2023
Author: Pete Jones, Manager, Nature, Diana Ferrari, Manager, Energy & Mariana Heinrich, Director, Energy
Type: Insight

Nature is the backbone of the world economy. Industries, from agriculture to energy, impact and depend on the natural world. Global populations and economies continue to grow, as do their demands on nature and natural resources. Future resilience and prosperity demand that these needs are managed sustainably.

Wildlife populations have decreased by 70% in the last 50 years,1 which puts multiple ecosystems at risk of collapse. The energy sector accounts for 10% of the pressures causing biodiversity loss,2 with oil & gas and utilities having a particularly high impact, largely due to pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and impacts on species and their habitats. Even renewable electricity technologies can have unintended effects on nature. For example, 生产全球可再生能源所需的陆地和海域总面积约为100万公里2, equivalent to almost twice the size of France.2 任何接近这一数字的开发都将导致自然栖息地的丧失,并破坏大自然对气候变化影响的适应能力. Therefore, 作为全球能源转型的一部分,我们需要一个整体框架来应对这些影响和, simultaneously, realize opportunities for nature restoration.

The good news is that in December 2022, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted, providing the ambitious global aim of halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030. 实现《正规博彩十大网站》中设定的目标将是各国政府的共同任务, businesses, financial institutions and civil society, we need more investment, particularly from the private sector, to scale up efforts. This insights piece 描述了企业现在可以做些什么来按照全球生物多样性框架的要求采取行动. 

At WBCSD, 我们通过为一致和可靠的商业行为提供指导,帮助公司导航和管理他们对自然积极的旅程, including for specific value chains. Our Roadmaps to Nature Positive 正在绘制关键的自然影响和依赖关系,并正在确定三个高影响全球价值链的优先行动:陆基(Food & Agriculture and Forest), built environment, as well as energy. 这与更广泛的努力是一致的,即通过与 Business for Nature and the World Economic Forum.

Our team will lead a workshop at the Reuters Global Energy Transition in New York on 7 and 8 June. Learn more about what we will cover at the bottom of this blog!

Nature Positive Roadmap for the Energy System

《正规博彩十大网站》将为企业提供工具和指导,利用全球商定的高级别自然行动:ACT-D实施有利于自然的过渡计划, i.e., Assess, Commit, Transform and Disclose. In addition, 它将支持公司制定基于科学的自然目标(与基于科学的目标网络(SBTN)一致),并将自然相关财务披露工作组(TNFD)框架应用于自然披露.

Emerging insights so far include that:

  • The energy system will play a key role in contributing to the Global Goal for Nature: it has broad and significant impacts on nature, including water use, air pollution and emissions, land intake, habitat fragmentation and disturbances during construction and operation. 但作为几乎所有公共和私营实体供应链的重要组成部分,它也具有巨大的潜力,可以在其价值链内外推动对自然有利的变革, as well as final customers.
  • It is key to consider trade-offs between impacts on nature, climate and people: especially in the energy system, climate impacts have been at the forefront of company actions so far, 但是,围绕自然日益增长的势头为重新平衡和考虑这三个主题的总体影响提供了机会.
  • 我们需要在整个价值链上进行深入合作,以便能够在全球范围内实施有影响力的变革行动. To enable this collaboration, transparency is required on KPIs, baselines, 披露和目标,以便这些可以嵌入到价值链的每一步. New metrics are needed for that, and developing and testing these new metrics will take time, 在价值链内建立伙伴关系,促进对自然有利的创新,也是如此.

TNFD pilot project with WBCSD members

Alongside the roadmap development, six WBCSD member companies have been involved in our TNFD energy system pilot, 测试其草案版本,并向TNFD以及自然积极路线图提供反馈.

Key findings to date:

  • 试点公司已经制定了管理和监测影响的政策和流程, risks and opportunities associated with nature. Most of them focus on addressing their own impacts, e.g., through converting habitat, using water or via emissions. 一些试点公司已经将“净正影响”或“净收益”等概念应用于个别项目, particularly for biodiversity.
  • To capture the wider nature-positive agenda beyond biodiversity, pilot companies are now undertaking gap analyses between their existing commitments, practices and management tools and what working toward nature-positive requires. 这种分析对于更明确地将自然积极一致的方法纳入战略业务规划和管理流程是必要的, as well as identify any capacity/skills needed to implement them.
  • 对许多公司来说,新的问题是需要更深入地关注上游活动中产生的自然影响和依赖, for some companies, in their products sold downstream. One possible approach explored during the pilot is to do an initial, 定性评估,对这些业务单元进行优先排序,以便进行更详细的评估.

What’s next?

能源系统路线图的总体工作将持续到2023年和2024年的大部分时间, releasing outputs for companies to use along the way – the first ones in Q3 2023.  WBCSD is also setting up an SBTN Preparer Group and scoping a TNFD Preparer Forum. 这将帮助企业准备好为自然和tnfd一致的披露设定基于科学的目标.  

参加我们的路透社全球能源转型会议,深入了解能源和生物多样性

Our team will be leading a workshop at the Reuters Global Energy Transition 2023. As one of Reuters' flagship events, 会议将于6月7日至8日在纽约聚集750多名高管,以塑造和交付未来的能源系统. At our workshop, 与会者和我们将通过三个重点小组分享如何加快自然积极行动的建议:

  • 如何将2022年全球生物多样性框架应用于您的业务—需要哪些目标和指标?
  • 如何实施TNFD以帮助您的企业-如何将生物多样性纳入企业战略和风险管理流程?
  • 如何在实地采取积极的行动——其他公司已经采取了哪些行动来扭转影响和恢复生物多样性?

研讨会的目的是为与会者提供已经使用的方法的想法和例子, or proposed, to address the questions above. 与会者将在研讨会结束后更好地在他们的企业中推动自然行动.

Mariana Heinrich (WBCSD Director, Energy Pathway), Pete Jones (WBCSD Manager, Nature and secondee from ERM) and Margaret O’Gorman (President, Wildlife Habitat Council) will run the workshop. We hope to see you there! Register here to attend.

更多关于如何参与我们的能源和自然工作的信息,请联系: pete.jones@freetobeashley.com or heinrich@freetobeashley.com.

  

[1] WWF Living Planet Report 2022 http://wwflpr.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/lpr_2022_full_report.pdf

[2] Impacts of Green New Deal Energy Plans on Grid Stability, Costs, Jobs, Health, and Climate in 143 Countries – ScienceDirect

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