We have always been focused on the business implications of climate mitigation and adaptation, working with our members to explore how to capitalise on the opportunities as well as managing the physical and transition risks. That challenge is as important as ever today.

Chapter Zero’s 2024 FT campaign set out six scenarios facing businesses in the context of climate risk. The campaign’s striking strapline – ‘It’s not just a moral argument, it’s a business one too’ – reminds boards that climate action must be embedded in business strategy if it is to be effective.

Climate action is essential to prosperity – to survival – and we hope, through this campaign, we have inspired boards to act.

Looking back…

When Chapter Zero was launched, we set out to raise climate awareness in the boardroom. Now there can’t be a board in the country which hasn’t had at least some conversations about the topic.

In our first FT campaign, with a series of exemplary companies, we introduced the concept of the need to have a plan. Over the past year we have been focused on transition planning for a net zero economy, and many FTSE 100 companies have now published transition plans; some with several iterations.

We have been equipping our NED members to support their companies in using the UK Transition Plan Taskforce (TPT) disclosure network, which, I’m delighted to say, has been taken up by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). And our Chapter Zero Transition Planning Toolkit and Scorecard are in use across sectors and being promoted internationally.

From local to global

Climate action is, of course, an international challenge and I’m immensely proud that Chapter Zero is part of the global Climate Governance Initiative which now operates across 34 Chapters in 73 countries. It has been a privilege to chair the global initiative for the past 18 months.

Looking forward...

Having addressed the key themes highlighted in this campaign through our article series, Chapter Zero will continue at pace to equip and inspire NEDs to lead on climate from the boardroom. We are doing this through thought leadership on the latest legal, policy and regulatory developments and increasingly important topics such as nature and technology.