How to start a climate change movement - tips from a fossil fuel CEO
OPINION: There's an old TED Talk from 2010 about how to start a movement, illustrated by a video of a "lone nut" dancing at a music festival. It stuck with me, not just because of the lone nut's unique sense of rhythm, but because it's much the same way I view the movement of business leaders taking voluntary action on climate change. Like the lone nut, a leader needs the guts to stand out and be ridiculed. And a lone nut remains a lone nut unless there are other leaders who show how to follow. Those first followers are also showing guts and are at risk of being ridiculed. I recognise that as a chief executive of a company that sells fossil fuels, taking a public stand on climate change invokes scepticism about greenwashing and PR stunts. I welcome that, but six months on from the launch of the Climate Leaders Coalition now a group of 76 organisations that contribute about half of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions it's clear that momentum is growing around business taking climate change seriously. READ MORE: * The year in which climate change gained momentum * KiwiRail: We can't be complacent on climate change * Businesses band together to tackle climate change There are a few different reasons behind this. First, there is growing recognition that the consequences of climate change are one of the biggest long-term risks facing business. Secondly, businesses are increasingly seeing the opportunities associated with climate action. Mitigating and adapting to climate change doesn't automatically mean costing jobs and money. There are genuine opportunities for businesses to respond to changing consumer preferences, at the same time as making their businesses run more efficiently. There will be challenges, especially at the start, but the risk of inaction is greater. And thirdly, I believe we've finally reached a tipping point in New Zealand where people acknowledge that the science means climate change is no longer debatable, and businesses not taking a stand on climate action are the ones who risk looking like the lone nut. What I'm saying is that we've got to this point not because of me, or the support of the Sustainable Business Council, but because there were 59 other chief executives willing to join me on the dance floor to create a movement back in July 2018 when we launched. And this movement has created a safer environment for a further 16 organisations of all shapes and sizes to join our coalition over the past few months. By joining, each organisation has committed that by the time of our first anniversary in July, they will have set a public emissions reduction target and will be measuring and publicly reporting their greenhouse gas emissions, as well as working with their suppliers to reduce their emissions. Sunlight is a powerful tool and we welcome public scrutiny of whether we've made enough progress when our first birthday rolls around. We also hope that our collective stand will encourage Parliament to adopt a similar approach to the Zero Carbon Bill to pave the way for New Zealand's transition to a low emissions economy by 2050. Surely, if we can get the largest emitters from the agriculture, energy, transport, property, tourism and retail sectors, who collectively make up more than half of New Zealand's emissions to work together, we can get our five political parties to. If we do, all that will be left is for New Zealand's other business emitters to join in. It's not too late to join the movement. Mike Bennetts is the chief executive of Z Energy and Convenor of the Climate Leaders Coalition . * Comments on this story are now closed