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Global NGO Pact commits to net zero by 2030
Global NGO Pact recently announced its commitment to net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its operations by 2030. The organization has also completed a baseline carbon footprint assessment, which is informing a comprehensive action plan to reduce and offset the organization’s GHG emissions across its offices in more than 20 countries.
“There are so many reasons that Pact has chosen to make this a top organizational priority,” said Caroline Anstey, President & CEO of Pact. “At the end of the day, they all come back to our mission. Poverty is inextricably bound up with climate change.”
Climate change threatens the wellbeing of communities around the world, with impacts affecting health, food supplies, livelihoods, peace and conflict and more. Communities across the world are already experiencing the devastating impacts of rising temperatures and more intense weather events. According to the U.N., an average of 20 million people are displaced annually due to extreme weather, and people living in fragile and conflict-affected countries are often disproportionately affected.
While active in climate-focused programming, international NGOs in the development sector have been relatively inactive when it comes to their own climate or sustainability accounting, despite the unintended negative environmental consequences of their operations.
“Climate change is one of the biggest threats to the collective future of communities we serve,” said Anstey. “All development organizations, no matter their focus, have a shared interest in working toward net zero.”
An Environmental Sustainability Working Group, led by Pact’s Vice President for Sustainable Markets Roger-Mark De Souza and Director of Environment David Bonnardeaux and comprised of staff from Pact’s offices across the world, will oversee the organization’s efforts to achieve net zero emissions by 2030. Pact’s Board of Directors ensures accountability through an Environmental Sustainability Key Performance Indicator, which measures the organization’s environmental impact across operations and programs, including total greenhouse gas emissions.
In addition to tackling climate change through its operational footprint, Pact also works through its programs to mitigate the impacts of climate change and support communities as they adapt. Pact works with businesses and financial institutions to mobilize private sector finance to drive more sustainable low-emission agriculture, forestry and land use management; works with governments and local communities to facilitate the adoption of more climate-resilient rural livelihoods; and helps community members move along the development pathway by developing nature-based enterprises that will generate sustained revenue without adversely impacting the environment.
To learn more about Pact’s net zero emissions pledge, please visit pactworld.org/sustainability.