Track 0, an initiative of business and non-governmental groups, has released a new study to undsercore the business case for the goal of almost complete decarbonization by the middle of the century.

Read the full report: The Business Case for Adopting the Long-Term Goal of Net Zero Emissions.

The authors write:

Businesses and governments that want to stand out as leaders, especially those with the means in rich countries, can do so by cutting CO2 emissions to near zero through their own activities and those of their value chains, as quickly as possible, knowing that global emissions must be zero in the second half of the century.

 Compelling reasons outlined in the study for adopting the long-term goal of net zero emissions from a business point of view include:

• Replacing near term energy emissions from fossil fuels with the equivalent investment in zero-carbon renewables leads to long-term returns.
• Political direction, science and now economics have escalated investment in renewables. 2014 saw global investment of $310bn, almost at its 2011 high of $317bn in value terms.
• Long-range investors, acting on fiduciary responsibility, are withdrawing from assets that are not climate resilient. Businesses showing a clear pathway to long-term zero emissions, across the value chain, demonstrate resiliency to attract investor confidence, alongside strong returns.
• The recent US-China agreement on climate change sends a strong signal to investors who may have previously shied away from fossil fuel divestment

News taken from newsroom.unfccc