As concern mounts that it’s already too late to rescue the planet from the worst of global warming, companies in almost every industry are rushing to assure consumers that they’re taking the climate crisis seriously. Some of these companies seem genuine. Others, not so much.
Amazon, a huge polluter, on Tuesday announced a $2 billion investment in “sustainable and decarbonizing technologies” in an effort to eliminate its carbon footprint. The goal, the massive shipping company said, is to move up its 2030 deadline for powering operations with renewable energy to 2025. Amazon has also pledged to eliminate or offset carbon emissions by 2040, and challenged other companies to do the same.
Then there’s Royal Dutch Shell Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden, who recently insisted he doesn’t run an oil company anymore, despite the fact that he, in fact, does.
The aviation industry, meanwhile, is trying to take funds from the European Union’s coronavirus recovery plan to help it speed up reduction of its substantial greenhouse gas emissions. Bailout packages on the continent have come with environmental strings attached (unlike in the U.S., where such things have been strictly forbidden by the Trump administration).
France, for instance, plans to ban commercial air travel on the country’s shortest domestic routes in a bid to prevent low-cost carriers from picking up links Air France is being forced to abandon. Austria has also placed constraints on short-haul air travel as part of a state-funding plan for the local unit of Deutsche Lufthansa.
There are some encouraging signs that such steps are trending in the right direction, while others could be classified as vigorous greenwashing.