The Climate Pledge

The countdown to #ClimateWeekNYC is ON! In less than two weeks, The Climate Pledge Hub and Summit events will bring together visionary leaders from diverse industries for four days of collaboration and climate action. Our agenda is packed with must-see sessions. Be inspired by Dr. Jane Goodall of the The Jane Goodall Institute and Ellen MacArthur of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation as they challenge us to think bigger about climate solutions. Hear Christiana Figueres present her vision for a net-zero future. And don’t miss a crucial conversation on water equity with Matt Damon and Gary White of Water.org. These four days of climate programming—exclusively available to our signatory community—offer hands-on workshops, visionary panels, and invaluable networking opportunities. Plus, as part of Amazon Priceless Planet partnership, we’re donating 100 trees for every person who registers for The Summit! ?? We’re thrilled to bring our signatories together to push the boundaries of what’s possible. See you there!

Nick Ellis—a Principal at the Climate Pledge Fund—is tasked with finding startups with the potential to create breakthrough technologies that will help companies reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. But scaling those startups at the urgent rate our planet needs can be a challenge. The Climate Pledge Fund and The Climate Pledge signatory Siemens were both early investors in the direct air capture startup CarbonCapture Inc. The Climate Pledge Fund—a $2 billion dollar fund—and Siemens were able to help the startup by providing the investment, infrastructure, and technological capabilities it needed to scale. Read on for a Q&A with Nick about how The Climate Pledge is both a demand driver and accelerator for businesses: https://bit.ly/3XB1GnD

YES, CHEF! Climate Pledge signatory, Impossible Foods is opening its first-ever brick-and-mortar location in Chicago. The company isn’t just changing what’s on your plate—it’s changing the conversation around plant-based eating. ?? By focusing on flavor, fun, and accessibility, they’re proving that plant-based meat can be sustainable AND just as satisfying as the real thing, no guilt trips or sacrifices required. With bold new flavors in their portfolio, Impossible Foods is bridging the gap between plant-based and traditional meat eaters, inviting everyone to the table. And now, with the launch of their physical location, Impossible Quality Meats, they’re bringing that experience to life. Learn how Impossible Foods is flipping the script on plant-based food: https://bit.ly/3B9sBOs

40% of global carbon emissions come from the operations and construction of buildings. But—according to JLL's #CSO Erin Meezan—many don’t realize the industry’s impact on the climate. Erin is the Chief Sustainability Officer at JLL, which is one of the world's largest real estate investment management firms. In her recent Q&A with The Climate Pledge, she discusses how urgent it is for this industry to move the needle on carbon reduction. As the first commercial real estate company to ever set science-based, net-zero carbon emissions targets, JLL has already been able to make a tangible impact on its own buildings and operations, and for its clients’ office spaces. In an effort to make systemic changes, JLL uses their learnings to not only optimize its own sustainability practices, but to teach their clients how to do so as well. For example, they put together a full-service, multidisciplinary client team and developed a way to build sustainability into every phase of the journey, from pre-site selection through leasing, workplace experience, sourcing, designing, and construction. Read on to see the progress JLL has made since joining the Pledge in 2021 and what goals lie ahead: https://bit.ly/4go4Z9g

To reach Amazon's ambitious goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, it has to reduce its corporate carbon footprint while also neutralizing remaining emissions. That’s where Jamey Mulligan comes in. Jamey is the Head of Carbon Neutralization Science and Strategy at Amazon and focuses on mitigating climate change outside of the value chain. Priority number one for Jamey’s team? Halt tropical deforestation—a crucial step toward reaching goals laid out in the Paris Agreement. After that, it’s restoring forests that have already been lost and sequestering carbon in the process. Most importantly, Jamey’s team doesn’t go at it alone. They work with local governments and communities to push for policy that protects both land and livelihoods. To learn more about how Jamey is working to scale such initiatives, check out our Q&A with him here: https://bit.ly/4ecXgci

We asked our office doggos how they’re reducing their carbon pawprints. Remarkably, they responded.

In the skies and on the road, these Pledge signatories are taking EVs to the next level. Alaska Airlines?is helping bring the @Regent all-electric, 12-passenger Seaglider to market in Hawai’i in an effort to better protect that state’s delicate ecosystems and to provide more sustainable travel options.?https://bit.ly/4g2abPF Lime?is piloting its new, all-electric LimeGlider e-bike in Seattle, WA adding an even more accessible way for commuters to get from Pike Place Market to the Space Needle.?https://yhoo.it/4dZfw8S Rivian?has released its specially-engineered Travel Kitchen for their R1T, which includes an electric induction cooktop and a food-safe prep space.?https://bit.ly/4e2zgZk Zoox?is soon releasing its all-electric, self-driving robotaxi to the public in both Nevada and California.?https://bloom.bg/3AGc3xz

The need to innovate and fast-forward the construction of renewable energy projects has never been more urgent, and technology innovations and #AI can help us get there. Enter Maximo. Maximo is an AI-powered robot invented and owned by energy company The AES Corporation that can install solar panels in half the time and at half the cost. Maximo can work in any weather condition, which means less time in the elements, like extreme heat, for work crews. Designed with a range of Amazon Web Services (AWS) tools, Maximo will assist AES in the continued development of their renewable energy projects, including those enabled by Amazon. Read more about Maximo: https://bit.ly/3Xg2w9p

National Geographic Explorer Pablo Albarenga captures this incredible aerial shot above what looks like your everyday palm trees, but, in fact, are huge, fruit-bearing palms that grow a?aí. Nazareno and his father Manuel Aires run a family farm in Igarapé-a?u, Pará, #Brazil that started 20 years ago with one machine to extract a?aí pulp. They grew their equipment inventory and along with it, their ability to harvest and sell more a?aí. Since the palms on their farm come from modified seeds, the trees don’t grow as tall making it substantially easier for them to climb and harvest the a?aí. Now, they have more than 200 hectares of planted a?aí monoculture and restaurants all over the city #Belém of Pará. Though the demand for a?aí has skyrocketed in recent years, a warming climate has subjected palms to high temperatures during hot years, in turn, leaving many producers with far fewer fruiting palms. Pablo’s continued documentation of these stories is supported by The Climate Pledge and National Geographic Society's Global Storytellers Fund.

Investing in nature is crucial to fighting climate change. The alternative could result in a far bigger cost like losing species and habitats that aid in food production, water that feeds vulnerable ecosystems, and rainforests that change weather patterns and farming practices. In a powerful letter to governments, over 130 global companies—totaling $1.1 trillion in revenue—pushed for better policies to help stop nature loss by the end of the decade. The move comes before this year’s COP16 biodiversity summit in Colombia where countries will convene to decide how to implement a framework to protect 30% of the world’s natural resources by 2030. The Climate Pledge signatories Unilever and Iberdrola are two of the 130+ companies responsible for the letter and the call for a variety of measures from subsidy reform to water use. Some companies have been hesitant to invest in shorter-term strategies due to costs, which is why those taking voluntary action are pushing for policies that ensure businesses protect and restore nature. This, in turn, would add resilience to those company’s supply chains. Read more about the companies taking action: https://reut.rs/3Mf5Wme