‘Bogus’ net-zero pledges cover up fossil fuel expansion, UN says

‘Bogus’ net-zero pledges cover up fossil fuel expansion, UN says
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for current pledges to be aligned with new guidance that was launched at COP27.
NOV 10, 2022

At the launch of a roadmap for financial institutions and businesses to achieve net zero at COP27 Tuesday, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called current pledges “bogus,” calling for them to be aligned with the new guidance.

“I have a message to fossil fuel companies and their financial enablers,” he said.

“So-called ‘net-zero pledges’ that exclude core products and activities are poisoning our planet. They must thoroughly review their pledges and align them with this new guidance. Using bogus ‘net-zero’ pledges to cover up massive fossil fuel expansion is reprehensible.”

He was speaking today in Sharm el-Sheikh at the launch of the report, Integrity Matters: Net Zero Commitments by Business, Financial Institutions, Cities and Regions, by the expert group Guterres set up at COP26 last year that is chaired by Catherine McKenna.

The report sets out a roadmap for firms but also stricter guidelines than other voluntary groups have, such as requiring firms to not invest in new fossil fuel supply or deforestation, a limited use of carbon credits, the inclusion of Scope 3 emissions and the exclusion of lobbying.

“Targets must cover all greenhouse gas emissions and all scopes of emissions,” Guterres said. “For financial institutions, this means all financed activities.”

Ric Edelman explains the collapse of FTX, world’s second-largest crypto platform

Latest News

Most Americans oblivious to Social Security’s projected demise
Most Americans oblivious to Social Security’s projected demise

New Nationwide Retirement Institute survey reveals eight in ten Americans agree Social Security needs fixing and how.

NewEdge advisors reshape client work with AI in weeks after Anthropic rollout
NewEdge advisors reshape client work with AI in weeks after Anthropic rollout

Advisor-led adoption has been rapid for tasks from translating annuity contracts into plain English to speedy webinar prep.

Kestra Financial names Kelly Apple as head of wealth management
Kestra Financial names Kelly Apple as head of wealth management

Austin, Texas headquartered firm taps former BlackRock managing director following an internal leadership shuffle.

Investors win lawsuit against Atlanta B-D over tax shelter investment, potentially a first
Investors win lawsuit against Atlanta B-D over tax shelter investment, potentially a first

InvestmentNews reported in 2017 that the IRS was scrutinizing the tax shelter land deals, called syndication conservation easements.

Pontera unveils non-discretionary advice tools in continued retirement platform buildout
Pontera unveils non-discretionary advice tools in continued retirement platform buildout

Advisors gain a second workflow for 401(k) guidance as the fintech expands beyond bulk rebalancing, backed by new policy research on advice access.

SPONSORED Direct indexing webinar targets tax-loss harvesting amid market swings

Northern Trust’s Ken Lassner shows advisors how to convert volatility into after-tax portfolio gains

SPONSORED Who builds the income when the pension disappears?

Dan Biagini of American Equity says the steady decline of pensions, longer lifespans and a reset in interest rates are rewriting how advisors build retirement income