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UK companies are “nowhere near” to achieving the government’s target of an 80 per cent cut in emissions by 2050, according to a report by ENDS (Environment Data Services).
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The report titled “Sustainable Business 2011: Reflecting on Progress”, produced by Forum for the Future, indicates that progress in key areas such as industrial carbon emissions, energy efficiency, decarbonising electricity generation and freight transport emissions has slipped back in the last year.
The analysis took into account 16 diverse factors indicating the strength of business' environmental, social and economic sustainability credentials, grading their progress towards a stable and low carbon economic future.
The 2011 indicators show that carbon emissions and energy efficiency have increased over the last year, following a downward trend over the last five years, roughly corresponding to Britain's post recession economic recovery.
In order to meet the government’s target, electricity carbon intensity needs to fall by 17 g of CO2 every year between now and 2020, according to the Committee on Climate Change (CCC).
But the ENDS report says that the average annual fall in electricity carbon intensity has been just 6.7 g of CO2 since 2000. In fact, industrial energy intensity has shown no net improvement since 2007 and road freight carbon intensity has gone back to 2007 levels.
“Current business efforts to engage with the climate change dimension of sustainability are not sufficient. Radical action is needed, including rethinking of business models,” says ENDS editor-in-chief Nick Rowcliffe.