Giving Compass' Take:

• Despite seeing a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions during COVID-19, carbon dioxide is still being released into the atmosphere,  prompting the call for companies to support science-based climate advocacy. 

• How can donors play a role in this type of advocacy and expand support for climate science?

• Learn what COVID-19 can teach us about tackling climate change.

With Congress gearing up for another trillion-dollar round of economic relief that will set the strategic direction of the U.S. economy for years to come, it’s time for corporate America to stand up and be clear about the economy it wants and needs to prosper.

That means getting serious about advocating for a recovery plan that helps us build back better from the current pandemic, while tackling another global systemic threat: climate change.

The climate crisis is worsening, and it is playing out in real time as we grapple with COVID-19. Despite the temporary decline in greenhouse gas emissions, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere hit an all-time high in May. Triple-digit temperatures in June in the Arctic Circle led to another warmest month on record, tying with June 2019. The dry spring and hot summer has unleashed more raging fires in California this month, while residents across the American West are bracing for the worst megadrought in 1,200 years.

Climate change is a systemic risk, and its impacts are felt across corporate America. In a survey last year, 215 of the world’s largest publicly listed companies reported nearly $1 trillion at risk from climate impacts — most of it in the next five years. The severity of these intensifying risks requires a response of proportional ambition.

You may have heard of science-based targets. Today, we are calling for science-based climate advocacy. This moment calls for bold leadership. Companies must take action and ensure that all of their actions, especially their direct and indirect advocacy, are in lockstep with the latest climate science.

So what does science-based climate advocacy mean?

A new blueprint from Ceres, the Blueprint for Responsible Policy Engagement on Climate Change, lays out a science-based action agenda for companies in the U.S. that comes down to two basic steps.

Read the full article about the importance of climate science by Mindy S. Lubber at GreenBiz.