Beyond carbon: a people-centered approach to climate action
The shift to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy is about more than emissions targets, capital allocation, and engineering solutions. It relies on employees, suppliers, and communities being equipped to deliver it. Failing to respect their rights and needs can expose businesses to reputational, legal, operational and financial risks.
By embedding people considerations into climate decisions, companies protect themselves against operational risks like permitting delays while positioning to capture long-term value and opportunities. For example, recent research shows that the quality of community engagement affected financial outcomes in more than 800 of 1,200 cases reviewed, including by contributing to or avoiding costly delays, disruption and project failure. Rather than creating a separate track, an integrated approach builds people, climate and nature considerations into the everyday decisions a company already makes. This directly supports a just transition - ensuring climate action protects workers and communities so that no one is left behind in the shift to net-zero.
Where to start integrating people into climate decisions
A transition plan is a natural starting point for considering impacts on people, but the same approach applies to any climate decision - with or without a formal plan. By aligning a company's business model with international climate objectives, businesses can systematically address impacts on workers, suppliers and communities.
The Roadmap translates an integrated approach into practical action. It guides you step-by-step through where to impacts on people into climate decision-making, helping you delivering plans on time and on budget.
The Roadmap:
- Builds on existing decisions: Embeds people considerations in existing climate planning and governance, with no parallel process to run or maintain.
- Gives leadership a clear pathway: Explore six business domains and four maturity levels, to identify your starting point, set priorities and take practical next steps.
- Meets you where you are: Start with the domains that fit your context and priorities, and build toward integrated practice at your own pace.
- Provides practical guidance and proven resources: Use peer-tested tools, case studies, shared terminology and outcomes to help functions work together on an integrated agenda.
