The Climate Pledge

Calling all activists, innovators, and collaborators! Bloomberg Live’s Bloomberg Green Festival is upon us. In just a few days some of the world’s most passionate climate leaders will convene in Seattle, WA to build solutions toward meaningful climate action. The lineup includes Voting Rights Activist and Author Stacey Abrams, Land Protector and Fashion Model Quannah ChasingHorse, Amazon CSO Kara H. Hurst, and Climate Comedian Kaycee Conlee, just to name a few. We’ve planned out our festival schedule down to the minute and will be attending some seriously engaging sessions. We get to pair learning with a Tank and the Bangas concert, a performance from our favorite environmentalist drag queen Pattie Gonia, and a sound bath! Sounds too good to be true. There’s still time to sign up if you want in! https://bit.ly/4buLjNa Here are a few of the can’t-miss sessions we’re excited for: 🟢 Better Together: Unlocking the Power of Climate Partnerships with The Climate Pledge Director, Sally Fouts (Zwartjes) 🟢 Forward Together: Unique Pathways to Climate Action with Amazon CSO Kara H. Hurst 🟢 Fueling Airlines’ Decarbonization with Pledge signatories Alaska Airlines and Microsoft 🟢 Changemaker Conversation: Climate Policy 🟢 Changemaker Conversation: The Business Value of Climate Hope to see you there! #BBGGreenFestival

“Currently, zero-emission fuel solutions are either nascent or not even commercially viable yet,” says ZEMBA President and CEO Ingrid Irigoyen. “This is the problem we are coming together to solve.” As part of the The Aspen Institute Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA) is catalyzing the creation of a zero-emission market in the maritime space with other Pledge signatories such as Amazon, Brooks Running, Sport-Thieme GmbH, Philips, Reckitt, and Schneider Electric. The Aspen Institute recently launched an article “How the shipping industry is combatting its global emissions”—part of the World Ocean Council's #BlueHorizon series produced for them by BBC StoryWorks. In it, they address how the maritime sector can come together to stop the shipping industry’s projected emissions from rising to almost double what they are today. You can checkout the whole series here: https://bbc.in/3xUN5JA

We, the people have a fundamental right to breathe fresh air, to be free from ecological destruction, and to live in a world with ethical, balanced, and responsible uses of land and renewable resources. Now, more than ever, consumers are increasingly aware of how racism and structural inequities contribute to climate change. But, individual stewardship of natural resources will not be enough. Business leaders must address consumer sentiment and prioritize investing in environmental justice solutions—particularly those led by frontline communities.

You don’t have to sacrifice delivery speed for sustainability! One of Amazon's Same-Day Delivery sites in California has now made history as North America’s first-ever fulfillment center to earn the International Living Future Institute’s (ILFI) Zero Carbon Certification. The certification is the first worldwide third-party standard for lower-carbon buildings. The building boasts cutting-edge technology that aids in reducing carbon emissions and enhancing operational efficiency. It is also located near customers in the Sacramento area, enabling rapid delivery—sometimes within five hours of a customer's purchase. The Sacramento fulfillment center now sits amongst other prominent, ILFI-certified building such as, Climate Pledge Arena—the world’s largest ILFI-certified building—and an Amazon Fresh grocery store—the first ILFI-certified grocery store—both located in Seattle, WA. Read more: https://bit.ly/4cDwatU

ICYMI, The Climate Pledge co-founder, Amazon, recently announced it has replaced 95% of the plastic air pillows in its delivery packaging across North America with paper filler. To celebrate this milestone, customers and employees gathered outside the Spheres to give a satisfying pop to the remaining air pillows, enjoy delicious food, earn prizes, and bid farewell to plastic packaging. ✌️

In the US, consumers like ‘Cher’ buy a LOT of goods. This past year alone $743 billion worth of those goods were returned generating 8.4 billion tons of landfill waste. Read why our favorite, fashion-loving Alicia Silverstone is making pre-loved clothes the only clothes to buy this year. https://cnb.cx/4cwFEqZ #recommerce #reuse #upcycling #sustainablefashion

The transition to greener fuels spans transportation industries—from aviation, maritime shipping, rail, and logistics. Combined, those industries currently account for 20.2% of global greenhouse gas emissions—the second-largest contributor to carbon pollution on a global scale. And that number is only expected to grow. These Pledge signatories are exploring, innovating, and creating greener fuel alternatives that benefit both their consumers and the planet. Neste’s first Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) at Changi Airport ordered by Singapore Airlines Group. https://rebut.rs/3yeEQYS Alaska Airlines gives fliers option to buy SAF credits. https://bit.ly/4eINXSv Microsoft becomes founding member of SkyNRG SAF initiative. https://bit.ly/4ew3PHz Amogy and Infinium tackle green ammonia and eFuels solutions. https://bit.ly/4bdDpHT

These Pledge signatories take some of the top seats on TIME's World's Most Sustainable Companies of 2024. Coming in at number one is Schneider Electric followed by Siemens (#11) Mastercard (#13) Novartis(#17) HP (#20) CBRE (#32) McKinsey & Company (#34) Snap Inc. (#40) Best Buy (#49) Congratulations to all of the companies committed to bettering their business practices and the planet! https://bit.ly/3W0jtUF

Amazon's Environment Director, Chris Roe, sat down with Newsweek to discuss its climate commitments including the recently completed Baldy Mesa project near San Bernardino, a solar farm with battery storage that uses artifical intelligence to manage the flow of clean energy to Amazon's operations. According to Roe, "With intermittent resources like wind and sun, storage is really an important tool." And thanks to machine learning and AI, Amazon is able to better predict when to buy, store and sell energy based on grid conditions. The same ML solution deployed at a similar site in California was able to help anticipate last year’s state-wide heatwave and helped stabilize the grid by delivering stored solar energy when it was needed the most. Read the full interview: https://bit.ly/3XphVVd

Lithium is an essential mineral for the production of electric vehicle batteries, smart devices, renewable power plants, and other technologies helping the world transition away from fossil fuels. Chile has the largest lithium reserves in the world, and is the second largest global producer of this metal. According to the Chilean government’s projections, global demand for #lithium will quadruple by 2030, reaching 1.8 million tons. The Atacama region, which is also home to vast copper mines, supplies nearly one quarter of the globe’s lithium. The privately-owned mining companies SQM and Albemarle take the lead in the commercialization and development of the material, often at the expense of the #environment and small communities. The metal is extracted through a water-intensive method that drains already scarce water resources, damages wetlands, and harms communities. After completing the extraction process, miners pump salty lithium-rich water, called brine, into massive ponds, where it can take years for the evaporation process to separate the lithium. The displacement of villagers—forced to leave due to lack of water resources or construction sites—has also caused the disappearance of many ancient cultures and traditions. This aerial photo was captured by Davide Monteleone, a National Geographic Explorer supported by The Climate Pledge and National Geographic Society through the Global Storytellers Fund.