SocEnv has joined together with other institutions to support the Professional Body Charter for Climate Action – an initiative established to help support professionals from across sectors in addressing the challenge of implementing the Paris Agreement.
The Charter requires three commitments from professional bodies, including a pledge to chart a path to help their members deliver sustainability across their organisation, and a promise to report on and share resources to create Climate Action Plans for their sectors to help reduce emissions in line with 1.5°C warming trajectory.
The charter is a catalyst for bringing people together to share knowledge, grow ambition and provide a framework for building collaboration to ensure we are meeting climate change targets.
Dr Emma Wilcox, Chief Executive of SocEnv, said: “As we near the COP26 summit, it is fantastic to see this new Charter recognising the hugely important role played by Professional Bodies in driving evidence-based climate action.
If we are to achieve net zero by 2050, we need Professional Bodies to commit to providing members with the support, guidance and shared good practice they need to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. This Charter is a great step towards achieving that objective.”
SocEnv is joined by sixteen other bodies in supporting the Charter, including the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, Energy Institute, Engineering UK, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, the Institution of Engineering and Technology, the Institution of Environmental Sciences, the Professional Associations Research Network, and the Royal Society of Chemistry.
SocEnv is also one of the founding signatories of Pledge to Net Zero, the initiative with over 100 organisations committed to reaching net zero via the setting of science-based targets. Both the Climate Action Charter and Pledge to Net Zero share a commitment to using shared good practice to turn ambition on reaching net zero into tangible, science-based action. The focus of the Climate Action Charter on the responsibility of Professional Bodies specifically means that it complements the broader organisational focus of Pledge to Net Zero, and together they will help to ensure more organisations are able to play their part on the pathway to achieving net zero.
