CLIMATE CHANGE

French version

The aim of this guide is to help companies tackle the issue of adapting to climate change, an essential step in guaranteeing the sustainability and continuity of their activities. The examples of 30 French companies show that it is possible to embark on an adaptation process, whatever the size or sector of activity.

Structured around the logic of an adaptation journey, the guide presents examples of adaptation actions, assessment approaches, strategy development and monitoring and evaluation processes, rooted in the real-time experience of the sample companies. The guide also provides theoretical and methodological elements to help better understand the issues at stake, and to identify the best practices and tools to mobilise throughout the process.

French version

At the end of 2015 the Paris Agreement endorsed the aim “to achieve a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and absorption by sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century, on the basis of equity, and in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty”.

Since then, carbon neutrality has emerged as the key issue to address in controlling ongoing climate change and protecting human societies from its effects, and it has been taken up by many countries, organisations and businesses. The transition to carbon neutrality for businesses involves major questions and transformations.

In the last few years EpE member companies met within the Climate Change Commission to discuss the individual decarbonisation strategies they have implemented across their organisations. This publication sets out the questions raised and describes the solutions those companies have been striving to develop over time: how can each corporate player act on their own? Do they go it alone, and if they do not, with whom do they team up and how? What difficulties are to be overcome and how?

This booklet is designed both for companies that want to initiate and accelerate their move towards carbon neutrality, and for their various stakeholders who are aware of the systemic aspects and difficulties of that transition.

French version

Commissioned by a group of companies from all sectors, the ZEN 2050 study explores the feasibility of carbon neutrality in France by 2050, in terms of the balance between emissions in metropolitan France and absorption through carbon sinks

It is an ambitious – and original – study in that it incorporates the physical, technical, economic and sociological aspects into a coherent and plausible whole. Thus it is neither a forecast, nor a corporate commitment, nor a prescriptive requirement. It concludes with a proposal from these companies to the other components of society (general public, government authorities and economic stakeholders), inviting them to define together the detailed actions required to undertake the transformation:

• Carbon neutrality by 2050 is feasible, but requires unprecedented changes in our lifestyles and in the ways we use energy and technology to reduce our emissions.
• This neutrality is compatible with diversified and comfortable lifestyles, economic growth, and job creation.
• It can be achieved if all the stakeholders – public authorities, businesses and citizens – embrace that objective and decide together to act now to achieve this transformation.

Internal carbon pricing
A growing corporate practice

French version

In the Paris Agreement, signed in December 2015, the international community set itself the ambitious goal of achieving zero net emission before the end of the century, in order to comply with the average global warming cap of 2°C or less, if possible. The transition towards this low-carbon world means rapidly reinventing development in every field, including energy, transport, housing, production, farming, finance and consumption.

Most actors agree that assigning a price to greenhouse gas emissions has an influence on their decisions and is an effective means of encouraging economic decision-makers to invest in clean energy, low-carbon technologies and even in different products and services that meet the same requirements.

What is internal carbon pricing?

Companies are conscious of the risks relating to climate change and the need to transition to a low-carbon economy. They are also aware of the effectiveness of carbon pricing mechanisms and the important role that they have to play in decarbonisation. As a result, they pay close attention to this trend and are even making an active contribution to it, which is reflected in the development of voluntary pricing tools.

An internal carbon price is a value that companies voluntarily set for themselves, in order to internalise the economic cost of their greenhouse gas emissions. It can be used both as risk management tool and as part of a company’s decarbonisation strategy. An internal carbon price can help companies enhance their global strategies to become more resilient to regulatory climate policies and more favourable to emission reductions.

How to adopt this approach

Many companies, including those that are members of Entreprises pour l’Environnement, have embarked on this approach in order to effectively reduce their emissions, show their commitment to a low-carbon economy and protect themselves against the risks posed by this transition. Based on their experience in this area, this publication proposes a methodological approach to implementing an internal carbon pricing programme.