But "without the government umbrella of creating incentives and creating direction for all companies," businesses are "only going to have a limited impact." "Some of these leading companies need to decarbonize faster," Greg Gershuny, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute's Energy and Environment Program, told Newsweek. The years of corporate and governmental delays on climate action mean that while action from industry leaders can create pressure on other businesses, governments now need to implement transformative national restrictions to reduce emissions to levels recommended by the IPCC. Other businesses declaring ostensibly bold climate actionhave been accused of greenwashing, or pledging climate action that boosts company image but fails to address their most environmentally damaging practices. And, as The Guardian has reported, fossil fuel companies have continued to fight climate regulations even while touting their commitment to clean energies. Twenty-five fossil fuel producers were responsible for over half of greenhouse gas emissions over that time. The Carbon Majors Report said that 71 percent of industrial greenhouse gas emissions between 19 came from just 100 companies. Many, though, are not, and some of the biggest polluters have yet to address emissions. Whether motivated by existential concerns, values-driven consumers, the rapidly declining costs of clean energy or acknowledgment that climate change also poses an enormous financial threat, more companies are pledging climate commitments after years of inaction. And the more businesses that go green, the more governments will be fronting for green, not for dirty. "Essentially, governments are fronts for businesses. Because they were to defend VW and BMW," Dan Kammen, a professor of energy at the University of California, Berkeley, told Newsweek. That's why the German government for so long, even though they got great marks for being green on electricity, were really slow on electric vehicles. "Most governments in the world are really there to do the bidding of their own domestic companies. But scientists told Newsweek that the commitments could both accelerate private-sector climate commitments and push national governments toward implementing actions needed to limit climate change below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. These pledges aren't nearly sufficient for the world to meet the targets laid out in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's landmark 2018 report, which has stoked global alarm. And Amazon declared it would reach net zero emissions by 2040. ![]() Google, which has been carbon neutral since 2007, announced 18 new energy deals that it said would expand its worldwide portfolio in solar and wind by 40 percent. Eighty-seven companies with a market capitalization of $2.3 trillion said they would be carbon neutral by 2050. Scores of businesses announced climate action ahead and during the United Nations Climate Summit last month. Consumer product giant Unilever's declaration on Monday to halve virgin plastic use by 2025 is part of a trend that climate scientists are eyeing with tepid optimism.
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