The board role in climate action

In the third blog of her seven-part series on being a climate-active non-executive director, Chapter Zero Fellow Dr Mary Ethna Black looks at inspiration and the power of positive stories.

Amid turbulence on the path to net zero, leaders will have to be much nimbler to balance resilience with an energy future that is secure, affordable, and clean. McKinsey explores five actions that can help.

As Chapter Zero passes the 2,000-member mark, Julie Baddeley, Chair of the Chapter Zero Board, reflects on what makes Chapter Zero unique and why this moment is so significant.

The Chairperson’s Insights into Climate Action provides a summary of highlights from interviews with 16 members of the World Economic Forum’s Community of Chairpersons on the topic of climate action.

Chapter Zero has partnered with Freshfields and the Centre for Climate Engagement to explore climate-related legal questions with non-executive directors from across the UK. The series began in September 2023 with a session providing an overview of the interaction between climate change, legal issues and business, and then focusing on legacy risks to companies, including litigation, and how they can be mitigated. Below is a summary of the second session which explored the landscape of legal issues that organisations face in daily operations and when implementing climate strategy, identifying key legal considerations at the forefront of transition planning.

In 2023, Chapter Zero partnered with McKinsey for a three-part event series that explored the impact non-executive directors (NEDs) can have in the boardroom to help their organisations achieve net zero. The second session, held on 21 September, explored how non-executive directors can navigate the net zero transition to shape and implement credible climate strategies. We have summarised below the key takeaways of this event.

Chapter Zero and White & Case held a session for non-executive directors (NEDs) in May 2023 offering practical advice and insights on the key legal duties and obligations of NEDs in relation to climate change. Here are the key takeaways.

Boards must put climate transition at the heart of corporate strategy, says the Climate Governance Initiative – an international network of more than 100,000 board directors that includes Chapter Zero.

It’s time to make net zero a reality – with COP26 imminent the conversation is turning from ambition to action. We focus on the power of the boardroom in the finale of our Financial Times advert series.

To tackle climate change every business needs a net zero plan. Our advert series highlights the role of the board in making this happen.

Boards are committed to addressing climate change, but knowledge and experience gaps in the boardroom may impact ability to drive future change according to this report from INSEAD and Heidrick & Struggles.

A briefing prepared for members of Chapter Zero by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership with Earth on Board.

The World Economic Forum released a guide to help corporate boards drive climate governance effectively. This was developed in collaboration with PwC and consultation with over 50 board members and corporate executives.

This event discussed the wealth of business opportunities involved in the transition to net zero, from those created by scientific and technological developments and innovating with new business models, to building strategic partnerships and finding routes to new markets. A conversation with Dr Emily Shuckburgh, Director of Cambridge Zero at Cambridge University and Simon Carter, CEO of British Land.

In this interactive Q&A, attendees had the chance to get practical advice for the boardroom on their climate-related questions. Catch up on the questions that were raised and the advice the panel gave. This event was organised by ICAEW in collaboration with Chapter Zero during the ICAEW Climate Summit.

Lord Turner chairs the Energy Transitions Commission, a global coalition of leaders from across the energy landscape committed to achieving net zero by 2050. In this conversation, Emily Farnworth drew on his expertise to explore the role of non-executive directors in driving the low carbon transition especially in sectors where emissions are high and reducing them is particularly hard.