The Ceres Blueprint for Responsible Policy Engagement on Climate Change offers concrete recommendations on how companies can establish systems that address climate change as a systemic risk and integrate this understanding into their direct and indirect lobbying on climate policies. The Blueprint is primarily designed for the governance and legal departments of companies charged with determining the appropriate cross-organizational structures to oversee risks and risk responses within a company. We build on existing resources to identify governance, risk management and policy engagement systems they can put in place to align their direct and indirect lobbying efforts with climate change science.
Companies and investors now largely understand that climate change poses not just clear financial and even material risks to companies and industries across the economy, but in fact systemic risk to financial markets writ large. Robust and aggressive public policy on climate change, which is aligned with the latest science on climate change is needed both to mitigate climate risks and manage the necessary transition to a net-zero carbon economy by 2050.
Despite the clarity of the science, policy action has fallen short of what is needed. Policy on climate change must align with climate science in order to effectively address the systemic nature of the climate crisis. Recognizing the need to address the climate crisis, a growing number of companies are taking increasingly ambitious steps to address climate change across their performance and strategies.
However, these efforts could be undermined if their lobbying on climate change, whether directly or through their trade associations, is not aligned with climate science.
Companies that establish robust governance systems to address climate change as a systemic risk and align their direct and indirect lobbying efforts to support science-based climate policies will drive the creation of a regulatory environment that best positions them for resilient growth. To do this, we call on companies to:
ASSESS the impact of climate change to the company, including the ways in which its lobbying efforts on climate change serve to exacerbate or mitigate these risks
Assess the risk that climate change poses to the company
Conduct an internal audit of direct and indirect lobbying positions on climate change
GOVERN to systematize decision-making on climate change across the company, including in all direct and indirect lobbying
Systematize decision-making on public policy engagement on climate change
Engage the board on climate policy
ACT to align both direct and indirect lobbying with science-based climate policies - Publicly state that the company supports science-based climate policies
Directly lobby for science-based climate policies
Engage with trade associations on aligning their lobbying with climate science
Comprehensive and urgent corporate action on climate change is vital if we are to achieve a stable climate and mitigate the devastating impacts of global climate change. But we cannot tackle climate change without strong, science-based climate policies. Companies must urgently and proactively align all elements of their efforts, including direct and indirect lobbying on climate change, with climate science.