Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Poland, Anna Clunes, talks exclusively to Contact Magazine Online about the implications of COP26 on British-Polish relations as governments around the world seek to deliver on their pledges made at the climate-change summit

Bartłomiej Zgryzek, vice-chairman and member of the board of directors at TELE-FONIKA Kable S.A., talks to the BPCC’s Michael Dembinski about the plans of Poland’s national champion in the power-cable sector and the firm’s strategic importance in energy transformation

Sébastien Krysiak, Castorama Polska’s CEO, talks to the BPCC’s Michael Dembinski about how Poland’s largest chain of home-improvement stores is working with its customers for a greener world

Because of the publicity around the COP26 conference hosted by the UK government, in Glasgow, the use of the word ‘sustainability’ has increased in frequency. But ‘Sustainability’ must surely be much more than a buzzword. More than just ‘greenwashing’.

Of the all the major real estate sectors, commercial property should be, in theory, the easiest to ‘green’. Historically held by institutional landlords who have access to the funds and firepower to implement large-scale change, and with pressure rising from their stakeholders to improve their ESG performance, commercial property – unlike the residential sector – has to ‘only’ implement change across tens of thousands of different assets, instead of tens of millions.

The real-estate sector is a significant contributor to carbon emissions through the construction and operation of buildings. So responsible development and decarbonisation could be a real game-changer to help address global climate change. In line with this idea, one of the largest players in the European warehousing industry, SEGRO, has included long-term sustainability targets in the latest review of its business strategy. The company also set itself the goal to become net-zero carbon by 2030. In addition to achieving and maintaining the lowest CO₂ footprint possible, its Responsible SEGRO framework also outlines how the company will invest in local communities and nurture talent to ensure it can be a force for societal and environmental good.

From an ecological point of view there are many contradictions in the very nature of international schools. Their growth is linked to the globalisation of the economy; the movement of goods and services across our planet that contribute to carbon emissions. Schools themselves often have pupils who commute distances, many of whom are driven to school, and of course, school buildings consume electricity, gas and water, utilities that also add to the carbon footprint.

Somewhere between $100-150 trillion over the next 30 years – that was the cost that US secretary of the treasury Janet Yellen cited in her COP26 keynote speech for financing the global transition to net zero. This price tag presents a staggering challenge for mature markets, let alone for developing ones. While investing in sustainable transformation  can provide a much-needed stimulus to economies, countries around the world are already under unprecedented fiscal pressure after Covid-19.

The European Green Deal and COP26 – what are they and why they are so important?

Between 31 October and 12 November in Glasgow, the 26th annual conference took place called within the UN’s series of Conference of the Parties. As such, COP26 was a global event about climate change with more than 200 countries taking part. World leaders of the countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – a treaty that came into force in 1994 were in attendance. During the summit, participating countries discussed goals and actions they are willing to take to combat the adverse climate change.

Earlier this year, the European Parliament approved a sweeping new Directive requiring due diligence on supply chains for every company operating in the EU with more than 250 employees¹. The proposal is expected to be finalised this month and may be modified somewhat due to strong business opposition.

The EU wants to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. At the 2021 Green Taxation Event with Paolo Gentiloni, EU Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, the EU indicated that it wants tax changes to support climate protection. What are green taxes? These form a whole system of public statutory obligations that burden activities which have a negative impact on the environment, and provide incentives to promote sustainable solutions. Together they form a group of tools  from different areas of tax law and other public obligations aimed at reaching climate and environmental goals. What areas and spheres of economic and civic life are they intended to address?

As COP26 has come to an end, the Glasgow Climate Pact signatories agreed that mitigation remains one of the overarching tools necessary to keep the Paris Agreement goals in reach, especially the need to limit global warming to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels. The mitigation goal can be translated into a few crucial areas, where immediate, robust, and coordinated action between governments and business is needed if the adverse effects of climate change are to be stopped. Speeding up the switch to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) has been named one of those.

New technologies are entering into the daily operations of companies at an ever-accelerating pace. Employers reach for new technological solutions not only by ubiquitous digitalisation, but also by concern for ecology. Many companies attach significant importance to raising environmental awareness of their employees. Through pro-environmental activities they strengthen the sense of responsibility for the environment among their staff.

The COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow has kindled great hopes in the fight against the climate crisis, and the public were hoping for specific declarations and commitments supported by detailed dates. The decisions made at the conference represent the required good direction of change, but are far from the turning point that will make it possible to effectively halt global warming.

The delegates have gone home, the headlines have been written, the media moves on to the next big story. But climate change isn’t going away; our chimneys and exhaust pipes are still belching greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Whose responsibility is it to curb greenhouse-gas emissions - governments’? Businesses’? Or billions of individual consumers through their daily actions?

If you can’t measure it – you can’t manage it. But where do you start?

Your heart sinks as you re-read that email from corporate HQ.

Several years ago, well before the pandemic, I was in London at the UK headquarters of an international bank. After the meeting, I was invited for lunch at the staff canteen. Thinking back, it felt like stepping into the future.