UN chief names panel to probe companies' climate efforts
ABC News
The head of the United Nations has announced the appointment of an expert panel to scrutinize companies’ efforts to curb climate change
BERLIN -- The head of the United Nations announced the appointment Thursday of an expert panel led by Canada's former environment minister to scrutinize whether companies' efforts to curb climate change are credible or mere “ greenwashing.”
Recent years have seen an explosion of pledges by businesses — including oil companies — to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to "net zero" amid consumer expectations that corporations bear part of the burden of cutting pollution. But environmental campaigners say many such plans are at best unclear, at worst designed to make companies look good when actually they are fueling global warming.
“Governments have the lion’s share of responsibility to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, adding that this was particularly true for the Group of 20 major emerging and industrialized economies that account for 80% of greenhouse gas emissions.
“But we also urgently need every business, investor, city, state and region to walk the talk on their net-zero promises,” he said.
