UN chief: Zero tolerance for ‘greenwashing’

NEW DELHI: United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres on Tuesday said there will be zero tolerance for ”net-zero greenwashing” by companies, financial institutions, cities, regions and other non-state actors in comments following a report by an expert panel that spoke of greenwashing at the UN climate talks (COP27) in Egypt’s resort town of Sharm El Sheikh.

The report by the High-Level Expert Group on Net Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities at the UN climate talks (COP27) presented a roadmap to prevent net zero goals from being undermined by false claims, ambiguity and “greenwashing”.

A number of regulatory changes are already creating firm rules around net zero in large markets.

For example, disclosure requirements exist or are phasing in across the EU, the UK, Japan, China, South Africa, Kenya and India, and are proposed in the US. For instance, if a fossil fuel company announces a net zero emissions goal, then the company would have move from its core area of business to renewables, the report explained.

“It was clear that we had a big gap in the climate space. A growing number of governments and non-state actors are pledging to be carbon-free – and that’s good news,” said Guterres during the release of the report.

“The problem is that the criteria and benchmarks for these net-zero commitments have varying levels of rigor and loopholes wide enough to drive a diesel truck through.

“We must have zero tolerance for net-zero greenwashing. Today’s Expert Group report is a how-to guide to ensure credible, accountable net-zero pledges. It provides clarity in four key areas: environmental integrity; credibility; accountability; and the role of governments,” he said.

Additionally, the COP27 presidency-holder, Egypt, launched the Sharm-El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda on Tuesday, which outlines 30 so-called “Adaptation Outcomes” to enhance resilience for four billion people living in the most climate vulnerable communities by 2030.