McKinsey’s COP Insights
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Outcomes from COP28: What next to accelerate climate action?
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COP28 saw momentum on climate action continuing to build. More ambition is still needed to accelerate progress—so it can be measured in months not decades.
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What would it take to scale critical climate technologies?
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Many of the climate technologies needed to achieve deep decarbonization already exist. The challenge now is accelerating innovation and scale-up to achieve technical and commercial breakthroughs.
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What is COP?
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COP refers to the United Nations’ annual conference on climate change. Its 28th meeting (COP28) is scheduled to begin November 30, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
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What is the global stocktake?
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The global stocktake is an assessment of progress made toward mitigating global warming since the Paris Agreement in 2015. The results from the first-ever global stocktake will be discussed at COP28.
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What is net zero?
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Net zero is an ideal state where the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) released into the earth’s atmosphere is balanced by the amount of GHGs removed. Decarbonization efforts are needed to reach net zero.
From the Sustainability Blog
Blog Post
COP28: Wrap-up
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McKinsey Sustainability recaps the news and announcements leaders need to know from the annual UN climate event.
Blog Post
December 11 at COP28
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McKinsey Sustainability recaps the news and announcements leaders need to know from the annual UN climate event.
Blog Post
COP28: Food and water
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As the conference gets underway, McKinsey Sustainability recaps the news and announcements leaders need to know.
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COP28: Nature
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As the conference gets underway, McKinsey Sustainability recaps the news and announcements leaders need to know.
Featured Insights
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Global Energy Perspective 2023
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In an evolving energy landscape, our Global Energy Perspective 2023 provides insights into long-term trends that will shape the energy transition.
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Companies are broadening their commitments to nature beyond carbon
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Nature-related commitments by Fortune Global 500 companies are rising, but progress is incremental and from a very low base.
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Carbon removals: How to scale a new gigaton industry
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CO2 removal (CDR) capacity is far from the gigaton scale needed to round out businesses’ net-zero efforts by 2050. We explore a mature CDR market’s potential and possible first-mover advantages.
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An affordable, reliable, competitive path to net zero
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A successful net-zero transition will require achieving not one objective but four. We offer a guide to getting it right.
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Paving the way to resilience: Strengthening public sector adaptation planning and execution
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Increasing resilience to climate change requires a more systematic response than ever before. Governments and public entities play a central role in defining, enabling, and executing it.
Interactive
A sector progress tracker for the net-zero transition
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This interactive tracker aims to measure the progress and preparedness of ten key sectors on the path to achieving global net-zero emissions by 2050. It may be viewed as a contribution to the first global stocktake of progress against the Paris Agreement.
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Cloud-powered technologies for sustainability
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AI, machine learning, the Internet of Things, and other technologies can play a critical role in decarbonization, and the cloud can significantly speed up and catalyze this process.
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Ten key requirements for a systemic approach to climate adaptation
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Civilization has been built on a foundation of climate stability that no longer exists. Adaptation is now as important as mitigation, and so is understanding its interrelated requirements.
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Striking the balance: Catalyzing a sustainable land-use transition
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Without a step change in action to increase land-use efficiency, growing demand for food, fuel, and natural capital may require additional land equivalent to the total cropland of Brazil by 2030.
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Green energy in Africa presents significant investment opportunities
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It is possible to address Africa’s large and growing energy needs while simultaneously transitioning to sustainable energy production on the continent.
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Full throttle on net zero: Creating value in the face of uncertainty
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To thrive amid shocks to the net-zero economy, leaders are shifting strategies to position themselves to win when the skies clear up.
Report - MGI Research
From poverty to empowerment: Raising the bar for sustainable and inclusive growth
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What would it take to raise minimum living standards and get on a net-zero path in this decade? Our research explores twin ambitions for people and the planet.
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The net-zero transition: What it would cost, what it could bring
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This McKinsey report offers a detailed look at the economic and societal impact of the transition to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
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A unique moment in time: Scaling plastics circularity
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Investment in recycling is accelerating. Now may be the time to derisk through business model innovations and by pursuing investment opportunities further upstream.
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Five key action areas to put Europe’s energy transition on a more orderly path
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To fulfill its ambitious net-zero agenda, the European Union would need to significantly increase the speed and scale of the transition while ensuring affordability, security, and growth.
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The net-zero materials transition: Implications for global supply chains
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To provide critical materials for the energy transition, the metals and minerals industries must adapt their global supply chains.
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The agricultural transition: Building a sustainable future
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Sustainable farming is necessary for decarbonization. But to get the world to net zero, the agriculture sector must take action along the entire value chain.
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Delivering impact from US green bank financing
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Green bank financing could mobilize hundreds of billions in investment toward net-zero emissions by 2050 as well as advancing environmental justice in the US.
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Climate investing: Continuing breakout growth through uncertain times
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Investments in climate technology are still increasing, defying the headwinds that affected most capital markets. We identify eight factors for deploying capital in this resilient space.
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Scaling green businesses: Next moves for leaders
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New challenges—and opportunities—have emerged for green business builders. A set of actions could help companies scale during these uncertain times.
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CO2 removal solutions: A buyer’s perspective
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As climate change impact becomes increasingly apparent, the adoption of decarbonization commitments is accelerating. Companies are acting rapidly and decisively to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and neutralize residual emissions.