Prepare for the coming storm Climate change is the biggest challenge facing the world. Yet, despite the fact that it will significantly impact every organisation and every region, our collective response is not yet commensurate with the scale of the problem. Forum for the Future wants to change this.

Our Climate Challenge outlines what we consider to be the essential components of leadership on climate change, and we want to push our partners to do more to embrace them. By doing so, they will be better protected against the risks that climate change poses, and better able to embrace the opportunities that the inevitable transition to a low-carbon economy provides.

How to show leadership on climate change We have identified five essential components of leadership on climate change:

A full understanding of the risks and opportunities posed
All companies face climate risk to some extent. While the specific risks and opportunities differ from sector to sector and company to company, they warrant serious debate at the board level of every corporation.

Awareness of the climate impacts in your company’s value chain
Companies should have a clear understanding of their entire climate footprint (including impacts in their supply chain, and associated with the use of their products) and focus their efforts on those areas where the impact is greatest.

Products and services that are fit-for-purpose in a low-carbon economy
Companies should ensure that their commitment to climate leadership extends to the products and services they offer. This means not only developing products and services that are best-in-class in terms of full life-cycle climate impact, but also ensuring that they are fundamentally compatible with a carbon-constrained world.

“Forum for the Future has an exceptional reputation for helping business reduce carbon footprints and focus on sustainability.” - Moir Lockhead, Chief Executive, FirstGroup plc

Understanding your contribution to societal greenhouse gas targets
While many companies have established greenhouse gas reduction strategies and targets, few have aligned these with the concept of environmental limits and wider societal targets for reducing and/or stabilising greenhouse gases. These targets have been expressed in different ways:

• Limiting warming to 2°C;
• Stabilising carbon dioxide concentrations at 350-500ppm;
• Reducing emissions by 80-90% from 1990 levels; or
• Restricting individuals to one tonne (or less) of carbon per year.

In discussing their individual climate targets and strategies, companies should reference local, national and global targets such as these. They should be able to describe the role that they – and their industry sector – will play in achieving them.

Progressive engagement in the political debate around climate policy
At a minimum, companies should ensure that their lobbying activities are consistent with their stated position on climate change. Beyond that, companies need to be more vocal about the risk climate change poses to all economic activity, and to demand an appropriate governmental response.

Ways we can help you meet the climate challenge

We are offering quick evaluations of our partners against the five leadership areas identified in the Climate Challenge, at a cost of (£7,500) $12,000. We also have tools to take our partners through the Climate Challenge in greater detail if required.

We will position the partner on a scale from ‘Beginner’ through to ‘Pioneer’, identifying areas where they are performing well, as well as where they need to improve. This will be accompanied by headline recommendations on how the partner can improve its performance – and thus prepare itself for a climate-changing world.

Our evaluations will be based on desk research and a small number of interviews with senior management at the partner in question, drawing from Forum’s experience and expertise in this field.

“Forum's practical advice and understanding of best practice has helped us to keep abreast of a rapidly evolving agenda, informing our strategic thinking on key issues like mitigating climate change and carbon management.” - Adrian Ewer, Chief Executive, John Laing 

For more details of Forum’s Climate Challenge and how it can benefit you contact:

Iain Watt
+44 (0)20 7324 3616