Clean energy jobs takes over and companies are becoming activists

­­­

Business are leading the way! This week, the International Energy Agency published a new report with very positive news: Clean energy jobs overtake the fossil fuel sector worldwide! In Sweden, companies are rasing their voices against the political leaders for delaying climate action! This Sunday, Swedes head for the polling stations to vote in the general election. The climate crisis have been worryingly absent in the political debates, and when the topic has been brought to the table, the transition away from fossil-fuels have been talked about mainly as a big problem. This has puzzled us. Why is it that so many politicians are unable to see the enormous benefits of the transition to a fossil-free economy? What about all the new jobs, the export potential, the innovations and the need for front-running companies to stay in the lead? It turned out we were not the only ones asking ourselves these questions. Just a few days ago we managed together with our partners GoClimate and the Exponential Roadmap Initiative gather more than 220 companies to co-sign an op-ed in Swedens biggest daily newspaper, urging our politicians to see the business potential in the green transition, and to take action to accelerate this shift. Combined, these companies have a turnover of 1,000 billion SEK – almost a fifth of Sweden’s GDP. If we'd had more time, we could easily have added many more names. Among the undesigned were CEO:s, chairmen and sustainability managers from big companies like Ericsson, Telia, Siemens, Polestar, and Skanska. Others represented medium-sized and small companies from all business sectors. We even had an airline company and Swedens largest fuel company signing the op-ed. This joint call gained massive attention in Sweden. Within the first 24 hours, more than 25 media organizations picked it up, and it was also picked up by reporters working for Le Monde and Libération in France. In the evening, the story set the political agenda in the biggest news shows on national TV. This clearly shows that there is a different climate story that needs telling. The story of positive change, of business opportunities, and of a massive corporate will to drive the transition towards a sustainable future, and to leave the fossil fuel-economy behind. This is true not just for companies. According to a new study published in the journal Nature Communications, the support in the US for policies like a carbon tax or the Green New Deal is almost double (66-80 percent) than what people usually think it is. This is problem, because if people are not aware of this great support, it could dampen politicians’ will to act. So we need to make them aware, and this is why we’re so happy to have played a part in this shift in narrative, at least in Sweden. We are also very happy to announce that we will be broadcasting tons of great solution-oriented content with plenty of high-level speakers at the upcoming Climate Week NYC, September 19-25. Check out our event page to learn all about it.